Obituary of Nancy Louise Johnson

Nancy L. Johnson of Wayzata passed away on July 18 from complications of dementia.

She is survived by her husband, Steven; daughters, Dr. Cynthia Wall of Charlottesville, VA and Karen Sundberg of Anchorage, AK; son, Richard Sundberg of Prescott, WI; grandchildren, Johannes Meyer, Linnea Meyer, Johnna Sundberg, Annalise Sundberg, and Richard Erik Sundberg.

Nancy was born April 26, 1935 to Clarence and Ellen Johnson. Her father died while Nancy was young and her mother remarried Phillip Sampson, giving her a new sister, Phyllis Sampson Ashmead. She spent her formative years in Minneapolis, attending Washburn High School and graduating (as a Kappa Kappa Gamma) from the University of Minnesota in 1957. She married Richard Sundberg shortly thereafter. (Tactful silence)

In 1974 Nancy and Steve met, married, and moved to Anchorage, AK, where his banking career took them, the three children, two cats, and a dog. The Great Alaska Adventure began and Nancy served in many civic activities, including Treasurer and Board member of Alaska’s first PBS radio station and host of a local television program devoted to the arts. While in Anchorage, she worked as an X-ray technician and later as a travel consultant. She and Steve traveled extensively, favoring Europe, and owned a Hawaii condo as a getaway. Fancy Nancy was renowned as an elegant hostess and a great cook. They relocated to Washington, D.C. for several years, and returned to Anchorage in 1982. When Steve was offered the opportunity to come “home” to Minneapolis in 1985, they moved back.

Nancy was active as a volunteer to the Minnesota Opera, renewed her work in the hospitality industry and continued to travel, garden, and entertain. She helped in a food and shelter program for the less fortunate at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. A fervent lover of animals, there was always a dog around the home, until a stray cat Ignatz worked his way into her heart. She was a voracious reader and served on the Excelsior Library Board until moving to Wayzata in 2015. Her favorite home away from home was a cabin on Deer Lake in Wisconsin, which had been in the family 70 years, and she and Steve never missed an opportunity to relax there.

A public celebration of her life will be held at a later time due to the present public health concerns. Donations in her memory may be made to Home for Life, Box 847, Stillwater, MN 55082, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

One can weep that she is gone…or smile because she lived.