JOHN JAMES (JOHNNY) JOHNSON

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JOHN JAMES (JOHNNY) JOHNSON On Friday, September 23, 2016, at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, BC, due to an acute intestinal infection. John was born in Winnipeg, MB, on December 23, 1935, to Cecil and Mary (Lewonchuk) Johnson of Morris, MB, and was the oldest of four children. John's early years were spent on the farm, just north of Morris, where he rode shotgun on his dad's Morris Dairy wagon. In 1942, his father sold the farm, and the family moved into town. In his youth, John enjoyed tennis, billiards, jazz, fencing, and baseball. John was an up and coming baseball player when, in 1953, at the age of 17, he contracted polio, which left him partially paralyzed in his arms and hands. At 19, John attended the Manitoba Technical Institute (Red River College), where he studied architectural drafting. After graduation, John went to work as a draftsman with Metropolitan Homes in Winnipeg. In the late 1960s, he moved to Langley, BC, where he became a self-employed home designer. In the mid 1970s, John made another move, this time to Penticton, BC, where he got a job working for ATCO Modular Buildings and Site Offices. When the plant in Penticton closed in the 1980s, John was forced to move back to Vancouver to find employment. He landed a job as a Property Manager with the RCMP, and worked there until his retirement in 2001. John will be remembered for his outgoing personality and sense of humour. John leaves to cherish his memory, his wife Pat, her children and grandchildren, as well as brothers Hugh (Barb) and Fred, and sister Debbie (Albert) Valdivia. The family wishes to thank the Peace Arch Hospital staff for their attentiveness and loving care. In keeping with John's wishes, services and interment will be private.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 01, 2016