Nathan Mark Johnson

Nathan “Mark” Johnson passed away peacefully at his home in Brandon, Miss., on July 17, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Robbin Johnson, and eight children: Amanda (Warren) Brandon, Bryan (Lessie) Johnson, Kristen (Tom) Langerman, Kimberly (Wes) Pearson, Lauren (Taylor) Hines, Sarah Johnson, Jordan Johnson, and Hanna Johnson and 11 grandchildren: Bailee Johnson, Ella Johnson, Reagan Leigh Brandon, Logan Brandon, Anna Catherine Brandon, Gabriel Austin, Reese Langerman, Violet Pearson, Hudson Langerman, Axel Pearson and Isaiah Hines. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Kendall Johnson, and sister, Lynn Robinson. Preceding him in death are his parents. Dr. Sterling “Kendall” Johnson and Angelina Gasparini Johnson and two children, Michelle Johnson Kalifeh and Bradley Scott Johnson.

Born in Pelahatchie, Miss. on March 13, 1956, Mark was the youngest child of three. He and his mother moved to Brandon when he was 12 years old, a few years after his physician father passed away. His mother, Angelina, was a long-time nurse at the Rankin County Health Department. Mark and Angelina attended St. Jude Catholic Church in Pearl, Miss. That’s where he met his wife, Robbin, in 1973. Mark graduated from Brandon High School with honors in 1974. He then attended the University of Southern Mississippi for a year before transferring to Millsaps College for two years.

He and Robbin married on July 23, 1977. While attending college, he worked as a part-time parts sales manager for Pettibone Equipment in Pearl, Miss. After an early acceptance to the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn., he and Robbin relocated to Memphis. The couple spent two years living near Graceland before Mark chose to leave optometry school to pursue a career in heavy equipment machinery sales.

Mark and Robbin moved back to Pearl in 1979, where Mark returned to his job at Pettibone. The couple also began a 20-year career delivering newspapers for The Clarion Ledger. Mark and Robbin rarely missed a delivery, often only missing a day or two for the birth of one of their ten children.

In 1981, the couple became parents to Amanda, and soon after, they welcomed Bryan (1982) and Kristen (1983). By 1985, Mark and Robbin had four children under five, with the arrival of Michelle that year. After a job offer to move to Chicago to work for Pettibone’s corporate headquarters fell through, Mark started his own parts brokerage venture, which he would continue until 2000. 

While living in Brandon, Mark and Robbin had two more children–Kimberly (1987) and Bradley (1989). They then relocated to the Reservoir area, where the family enjoyed boating and fishing almost every weekend.

In 1991, the couple lost Bradley in a tragic drowning accident and needed a refresh, so they moved to Goshen Springs, Miss., where most of their children would graduate high school. They raised four more children in this home, Lauren (1993), Sarah (1996), Jordan (1997), and Hanna (1999).

Mark loved his five acres in the country, growing a near-acre garden every summer, and raising livestock, including chickens, pigs, goats, and rabbits. In 1996, Mark and his family lost their home and his business to a house fire.

Gifted with numbers, Mark continued his business after the fire by relying on his extraordinary memory and connections to rebuild his records. While this was a trying time for the family, Mark and Robbin relied on their continual resilience to purchase a new home and stayed at their Shannon Road homestead until 1999.

In 1999, the family was poised to move to Ocean Springs, Miss., but circumstances had them move a few miles away to a new address in Goshen Springs. They remained there for a few more years before relocating to Ridgeland, Miss.

Mark closed his parts brokerage in 2000 and pursued a new sales venture as a used car specialist with Patty Peck Honda. He worked there for a few years, winning top awards for sales and service. In 2005, Mark went to work for Acura of Jackson, where he was a sales and service leader for five years. He retired in 2010 due to an injury.

During the pandemic, Mark leveraged his keen sales and procurement abilities to open an eBay store. He excelled in selling boat seats and teak patio furniture for about two years. His health took a hard turn in December 2021, and he closed his eBay empire to focus on healing.

Mark was known for his contagious wit, continuous bag of dad jokes, and dedication to his family. It was rare for anyone win against him in Scrabble or crossword puzzles. He often completed multiple word puzzles per day, and even in his hardest fights for his health, he maintained his keen mind and love for conversation.

While Mark’s health often hindered him from regular church attendance, he and his wife had a robust faith life, completing multiple Bible studies together, watching live-streamed church services, and praying together often. All of his children looked forward to his 30-second bedtime story (usually the Three Bears) and nightly prayers.

An accomplished cook, Mark taught many of his children mastery of Southern and Italian dishes. He often cooked large pots of greens, fresh vegetables from his garden, and his grandchildren were thrilled when he prepared eggs and toast almost every time they visited.

Mark was also an avid fisherman, often found on a pier near Pelahatchie Bay catching bream and perch with a cane pole and unique bait options. He spent most of his retirement years fishing and junk shopping with his wife.

Mark will be remembered for many things, but his love for his family will be the marker on his life.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at Ott & Lee Funeral Home, 1360 West Government Street in Brandon. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m., and the service will be at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to Limbs for Life, a nonprofit dedicate to helping people who need prosthetics. Mark’s quality of life was made better by prosthetics. Donate at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/limbsforlifefoundation.