Steven L. Johnson

Steven Lewis Johnson, 74, passed away at UW Medical Center in Madison on Sunday, April 13, 2025. He was born on July 19, 1950 in Eau Claire to Lloyd O. and Lila (Schoonover) Johnson. Steve attended Memorial High School in Eau Claire graduating in 1968. Growing up he was fondly known to his Westside neighborhood buddies as “Herc” (Hercules) due to frequently wearing muscle shirts and his love of Greek mythology. He spent much of his younger years with his cousins, the Mickelsons (Tom, Dave, Jeanne, and Tim) and at his grandparents’ house, which were both within blocks of his childhood home. He and his family spent many summer weekends at his grandparents’ cottage on Prairie Lake in Chetek. It was here that he began his lifelong love of fishing and spending time in nature.

Following his high school graduation, he attended UW-Eau Claire for one year before transferring to UW-Madison. During his college years, Steve spent summers working for Market and Johnson learning construction. He then began working with his friend, Tom Gillett, remodeling homes until Steve began his own homebuilding business with his friend Mark Cramer. He married Leslie Mueller on December 30, 1978. Steve worked for Finley Engineering laying fiber optics for telecommunications in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region for many years until his retirement in 2018. Almost immediately after his retirement, Steve was elected to the Chippewa Valley Electrical Coop where he served two terms as the secretary/treasurer of the Board. He also served as the secretary/treasurer of the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association and as the Representative Director of six cooperatives in Northern Wisconsin. Steve took great pride in his work and could talk for hours about the nuances of electrical engineering and telecommunications.

Steve’s lifelong work ethic was only matched by his love of learning. He enjoyed reading nonfiction books about American History, which made him an easy person to buy gifts for! Steve was a proud Norwegian and served as Grand Exalted Appreciator for S.P.E.A.L.E. (The Society for the Preservation of the Extinction of the Art of Lutefisk Eating) for 26 years, following the death of his father Lloyd, who began the Eau Claire S.P.E.A.L.E. chapter in the 1980s. Steve was happiest at his home on Sand Lake, where he partnered with the Sand Lake Association with the help of the Wildlife Restoration Association of Rusk County, to continue preserving the lake he loved. Steve spent many summers taking fishing trips with his father, uncles, cousins, and nephew, to Alaska and Canada as well as many cherished fishing trips with close friends and grandsons. He was famous for his weekend morning “Big Daddy” Breakfasts, smoking various meats on the grill, and captaining his family and guests on the pontoon around the lake. He was a lifelong Brewers, Packers, and Badgers football fan where he especially enjoyed tailgating before Badger games at Lot 60 in Madison. In his later years, while never actually slowing down, he purchased a motorhome with his wife Leslie and made several trips around the country visiting friends and family. He will be missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife: Leslie; children: Morgan Aten (Justin) and Keely; mother: Lila Johnson; sister: Connie (Cranford); nieces and nephews: Tricia (Crossey), Jenny (Rilling), Nikki (Hoppe), Dana (Monson) and John Cranford (Lindsay); grandchildren: Isaac and Arthur Aten and Tyger McBorrough.

Steve will be greatly remembered as a father figure to many of his nieces and his nephew as well as a surrogate grandfather to many grand nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father: Lloyd O. Johnson

A visitation will be held at Olson Funeral Home in Bloomer on Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 4:00-7:00 PM. A Viking celebration of Steve’s life will be held on July 19th at Sand Lake. Please direct memorials to the Bloomer/New Auburn Food Pantry or the Wildlife Restoration Association of Rusk County, PO Box 361 Ladysmith WI 54848. Online Condolences can be expressed at olsonfuneralhomebloomer.com