Elaine K. Johnson of Eden Prairie, MN has gone home, leaving behind a circle of those who loved her.
Some lives speak quietly; her is one such story.
Elaine spent her working life as ['the Midway Store'] and held deeply to the Lutheran faith — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew her best.
Belief, when lived, becomes a kind of inheritance.
Elaine K. Johnson of Eden Prairie, MN (formerly of Cambridge, MN) passed away on May 3, 2026.
Elaine Katherine Mattila, the second daughter of Eino J. & Lydia (Saari) Mattila, was born November 12, 1929, in Duluth, MN. Elaine was baptized on January 30, 1930 & grew up in Mt. Iron, MN, where her parents owned & worked at the Midway Store. Following her high school graduation in 1947, she continued her education at the University of Minnesota, Duluth Branch. She graduated with degrees in elementary education & music in the first 4-year graduating class of UMD in June of 1951.
On July 14, 1951, she was united in marriage to Harland Johnson of Parkville, MN, at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Mt Iron, MN. Elaine then joined Harland on the teaching staff in Rutland, ND, for a year. In 1952, they moved to Ketchikan, Alaska, where Harland had accepted a position with the Ketchikan Public Schools. It was not long after the move that Elaine became the organist at the First Lutheran Church. During this 8-year adventure in the territory of Alaska, their 3 children were born. In 1960, they moved the family back to Minnesota & chose to settle in Cambridge. There she loved to share her stories of being the only driver with her mother & the 3 very young kids in the car driving the Alaska Highway & wondering how many days it would take to arrive in the lower 48. It wasn't long before piano students were scheduled in her home after school & the evenings became filled with rehearsals with Community Choral groups & the church choir.
She was the organist at Cambridge Lutheran Church for over 20 years, retiring in 1987. Harland & Elaine found great joy in spending time with family & friends at their Northern Minnesota cabin in the summer & in Florida in the winter, as well as continuing to learn by attending Elderhostel adventures until Harland died August 20, 1998. She continued those wonderful summers at the cabin & the winter vacations in Florida for many years. She also continued to be called to many piano & organ benches for other local churches for many years. Elaine decided in 2021 to sell the home Harland had built in Cambridge and move to an apartment at Elim Shores Senior Living in Eden Prairie to be near her daughter's family. They became her caregivers. A church service at Elim Shores is where she shared her last gift of music on February 15, 2026. Elaine was a devoted musician, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother & friend. Elaine's legacy lives on through all the music students she taught & all of the groups she chose to spend time with creating music & sharing her gift.
Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Harland in1998 & her sister, Dolores Heine, in 2012.
Elaine is survived by her son Jeffrey Johnson & wife Barbara of Iron, MN; daughter Diane Lindgren & husband Robert of Kasson, MN; & daughter Julie Most & husband George of Eden Prairie, MN. She is loving grandmother of Kirsten (Norm) Anderson, Janna Lindgren, Paul Lindgren, Kayla (Josh) Bauer, Leeza (Dustin) Sparks, Amanda Most & Griffin Most. Great-grandmother of Peyton, Tyler & Jayce Koskela, Landen Anderson, Coyle, Paisley & Barrett Bauer, & Valerie & Gwen Sparks. She will stay in our hearts forever.
Memorials preferred to Cambridge Lutheran Church or Cambridge-Isanti Dollars for Scholars Program, where Harland was a charter member.
Memorial Service Noon, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Cambridge Lutheran Church. Visitation one hour before the service. Interment in the church cemetery.
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