Marisa Ellen Johnson-Dyson

Marisa Ellen Johnson-Dyson passed into eternity on the morning of October 10, 2026 at age 33 years and 11 months. Heartbreakingly, Marisa did not make this journey alone; she was joined in passing by her beautiful unborn baby boy, who was eagerly expected in January.

Marisa was born on November 11, 1992, to Phil and Arlene (Garber) Johnson of Quinter, Kansas. Marisa experienced heartache often at an early age with the loss of her mother Arlene to cancer in 2005 and the loss of her father Phil in 2023. After the passing of her mother in 2005, Marisa and her brother Justin moved to Waverly, Kansas where they lived with their grandparents Donald and Ellen Garber and their aunts Sarah and Rachel. Marisa graduated from Waverly High School and then spent the next several years working in the Quinter area. Marisa publicly expressed her faith in God on March 7, 2010, by receiving baptism through the Old German Baptist Church New Conference in Lawrence Kansas. Marisa attended different fellowships throughout her life and always enjoyed her times spent in worship.

Marisa lived and loved passionately, and we will always remember her in that way. She was passionate about her family, pets, friends, mental health awareness, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Awareness, riding motorcycles, and giving to others. We will remember Marisa for always showing up with food or wine when the timing was right, and every time we have Stella Rosa in the future, we will think of her laugh and smile. Marisa’s passion for mental health was reflected in her involvement with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and her advocacy for mental health education. Marisa also enjoyed working in elder care as a CNA, as a waitress, in the screen-printing shop with Ryan’s family, and as a photographer. Marisa enjoyed spending time outside tending to her garden, her flowers, campfires, and fishing with her family.

Marisa was joined in marriage to Ryan Dyson on May 1, 2021 and moved to Wabash, Indiana. Through this marriage, Marisa became “Bonus Mom” to Ryan’s two children Eden and Samuel, loving and caring for them as her own. In 2026 Marisa received news that she had prayed for through most of her adult life: she was excited beyond belief and in September 2026 she shared the news that this baby would be a boy, due in January, 2027. On the morning of October 10, 2026, Marisa climbed on the back of the motorcycle and started her last ride. Marisa had shared a photo the night before of a beautiful sunset from the back of the bike and we trust that she is now in a place that knows no sunsets, holding her baby boy.

Marisa was preceded in death by her parents Phil and Arlene Johnson, grandparents Orville and Evelyn Brown, and Grandfather Boyd Johnson.

Marisa is survived by her husband Ryan and his children, Eden and Samuel of Wabash, Indiana; brother, Justin and Jessa Johnson and their daughter, Nelle of Collyer, Kansas; father and mother-in-law, Chris and Bev Dyson of North Manchester, Indiana; sisters-in-law, Crystal Dyson, of Roann, Indiana, Kayla and Trevor Brovont, of Silver Lake, Indiana, and Ashley and Levi King, of Urbana, Indiana; grandparents, Donald and Ellen Garber of Waverly, Kansas, and Robert “Bob” Bowers of Silver Lake, Indiana; aunts and uncles, Raymond Graybill of Mexico, Indiana, Mark and Cheryl Garber of Waverly, Kansas, Lynn and Esther Cardin of Waverly, Kansas, Josh and Rachel Wray of Pomona, Kansas, and Jonathan and Sarah Kessler of Davenport, Nebraska, whom she considered her second Mom and Dad; many cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends will feel the gap that Marisa will leave in her passing.

Marisa met her God while doing one thing she loved and one thing she had always dreamed of: riding on the back of a motorcycle and carrying a precious life inside her. We mourn Marisa’s passing but trust her soul to the care of a gracious God. In death Marisa is fulfilling her dream to hold her child in her arms. She would want all of us to hold dear those people we love while they are alive.

Marisa would want all of us to remember her fondly, but to follow the advice she believed and lived: “Don’t look back, we aren’t going that way.”

Family and friends may call Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at McKee Mortuary, 1401 State Road 114 West, North Manchester, Indiana. Funeral services will begin at the conclusion of calling. Burial will take place at the Old Order German Baptist Cemetery in Quinter, Kansas.

The family of Marisa Johnson-Dyson has entrusted McKee Mortuary with care and final arrangements.