Don Johnson, founder of Des Plaines seafood market Don's Dock, dies
Whether it be lake perch, lake trout or shrimp, Don Johnson for decades loved to serve up seafood to legions of loyal customers who frequented his Des Plaines store.
What he probably loved even more was selling the fish he caught himself near Waukegan and Door County, Wisconsin — something he once made a career of as a commercial fisherman.
“It was a tough and dangerous job, but it was in his blood,” said his son, Andy Johnson.
Family, friends and customers are remembering the man behind Don's Dock seafood market and restaurant in Des Plaines, where today two more generations of Johnson family seafood purveyors are carrying on his legacy.
Johnson, 92, died of natural causes Thursday at his home on Washington Island in Door County, where he retired 33 years ago.
“I'm saying the same things to my son and daughter that my father said to me,” said Andy Johnson, the store's current owner who plans to retire soon and hand the business over to his children, now 26 and 24 years old. “He made sacrifices for me because he put in all those hard long hours to build the business.”
Don Johnson opened his first store, Johnson Seafood, on Rand Road near River Road in 1951. It had two large smokehouses, since smoked fish was the preferred taste of at the time, his son said.
When Rand Road was widened to put in sewers and curbs in the 1960s, the expansion took out Johnson's parking lot. So he relocated the store, then known as Mr. Don's, to Ellinwood Street next to Sim's Bowl. Fried lake perch became a big seller and the business took off in popularity, his son said.
The store moved to its current location at 1220 E. Northwest Highway in 1970, where it's been known as Don's Dock.
Don Johnson and his son regularly fished together through the 1970s, going out to Waukegan Harbor before dawn. They'd spend the morning fishing, then clean and prepare their catch for sale the rest of the day and night in Des Plaines. Once the store business got too busy, they let their commercial fishing license lapse, and Johnson retired not long after. Even then, he often returned to the store to help during busy times, such as Lent.
“You get up at 4 a.m., and work until 11 at night. It'll wear on ya,” Andy Johnson said. “But he had done it his whole life.”
Don Johnson began work as a commercial fisherman with his father and uncle in Waukegan in the 1930s. They had three boats and a crew, and began selling their catch at a store in Chicago in 1939.
They sometimes fished off Washington Island, where Don Johnson's grandfather settled because it reminded him of an island in Norway where he was raised, said Andy Johnson.
Washington Island is also where Don met his wife of 66 years, Daryl, who also worked at the Des Plaines store for years.
“My dad and mother taught us customer service, quality and consistency. Those are the important things,” Andy Johnson said. “Be friendly and do everything you can for your customers.”
Some things have changed at Don's Dock over the years. Fried fish is still popular, but there's now grilled items on the menu.
“It's totally different than when dad had it,” his son said. “It was fried seafood — eight things on the menu. It was simple, but it worked.”
A memorial service is planned for July 5 on Washington Island.