Alston Drake Denig Johnson

1944 - 2026

Alston Drake Denig Johnson

October 3, 1944 - February 13, 2026

Alston Drake Denig Johnson, a devoted mother, caring friend, and woman of remarkable resilience, passed away on February 13, 2026, from injuries sustained in a fall at her home in Midlothian, VA. She was 81 years old. Alston was born in San Diego, California, to Mary Drake Denig (née Drake) and Robert Livingston Denig, Jr., a United States Marine Corps officer. Growing up in a military family, she lived in places stretching from Virginia and North Carolina to Japan, developing the adaptability and curiosity that would define her throughout her life. The family eventually settled in Fair Oaks, California, where Alston graduated from San Juan High School class of 1962. As a young woman at Oregon State University, Alston was diagnosed with thyroid cancer - a challenge she met with characteristic determination. After a thyroidectomy, she relocated to the Sacramento area to be near her physicians, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and earned a teaching credential at Sacramento State University. Refusing to let illness stand between her and her goals, Alston embraced every moment and experience in life with passion and zest. While living in Fair Oaks, Alston met her husband Bruce on a blind date. They married on March 9, 1968, in Los Gatos, California, and would have celebrated 58 years of marriage this March. Together they built a life that took them from Rome, New York (where Alston taught kindergarten) to Richmond, Virginia, to Rochester, New York, and back to Richmond, where they raised their two sons. In Richmond, Alston turned her energy and people skills toward a new career in real estate, becoming a successful broker over many years. Whether she was helping families find their homes or welcoming people into her own, Alston had a way of quickly forging genuine connections with others, making them feel seen and valued. She never met a stranger. Alston and Bruce shared a deep love of travel, exploring the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe, Russia, South America, Australia, Iceland, and Cuba together. Alston is survived by her husband, Bruce Dellmuth Johnson; her brother, Robert Livingston Denig III; her sons, Owen Denig Johnson and Ryan Drake Johnson; and six grandchildren: Myles, Sage, Amelie, Drake, Sky, and Iceland. She is and will be deeply missed. A service will take place in the fall with details forthcoming this summer.

Cremation Society of Virginia - Richmond