Mable Emelia Johnson Stoltz of Grand Marais was called to her heavenly home to be with Jesus and her loving husband, Paul, on Sunday, July 15, 2012.
Mable (Midge) Johnson was born in Duluth on September 20, 1911 to Matt and Emma Sather Johnson. When Mable was 8 months old, her mother died from tuberculosis. She and her sister, Margaret, and her father, Matt Johnson, moved back to Grand Marais to live with her grandparents. Even though the grandparents spoke only Norwegian, Mable had a lot to do with their care and ended up speaking more Norwegian than English. Later, Matt married Pauline Aarsvold Johnson. Mable’s father served as clerk of County Court and ran the Grand Marais Herald before opening Johnson’s Grocery Store. Mable and her sister helped raise three little brothers and a younger sister.
Mable was baptized and confirmed at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais that her parents helped organize. She graduated from Cook County High School and Duluth Business College. She worked for her dad at the grocery store and also as a bookkeeper. In 1940, she made a daring move, for that time, to Orlando, Florida where she worked as a medical secretary for 17 years living with a group of “southern belles” who became lifetime friends. She traveled extensively to Europe, Asia and Cuba. She returned to Grand Marais in 1957 to marry Paul Stoltz, a widower and local businessman.
She was a very active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Book Club, and Garden Club. She loved curling, playing bridge and golf where she was known for her ability to hit a low, straight ball that almost never got lost. Mable was also known for her beautiful begonias that graced the steps of her home. Many remember playing on the rooftop of her garage as children while eating her homemade cookies.
Mable and her sister Margaret, sometimes referred to as “M & M” spent winters in Tucson, AZ, and were some of the first to move into the Homestead Cooperative after their husbands died.
Mable was a devoted wife, sister and super aunt and will be missed by all who knew her.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Paul and Ethel Johnson of Grand Marais; several nieces and nephews; stepdaughter-in-law Kathy Stoltz of Minneapolis; two stepgranddaughters Jennifer Stoltz (Courtney Johnson) of Grand Marais and Julie Stoltz (Roger Bromander) and step great-grandson Ian Bromander of St. Paul.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Paul; sister Margaret and brother-in-law Rev. J. L. Ranum; sister Merle Johnson; brother and sister-in law Ted and Hannah Johnson; brother and sister-in-law Tumsey and Mildred Johnson and stepson George Stoltz.
Services were held on Friday, July 20 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais. Visitation will be one hour prior to services with burial at Maple Hill Cemetery next to Paul Stoltz. Memorials in place of flowers may be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
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