Walter Jordon Johnson

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Walter Johnson. He leaves behind his wife, of over 60 years, Catherine O'Brien Johnson; daughters Kim Lorraine Scott Florian (Vince), Kathleen Theresa Johnson Burris, Amy Noel Johnson (Thomas McKennie) Preceded in death by his daughter, Carrie Johnson and grandson, Brian Johnson, He also leaves behind 6 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, 2 sisters and a brother along with many nieces and nephews. Walt was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey. His summers were spent fishing, camping in the Rancocas woods and swimming in the Rancocas River. When he wanted to earn money, he picked blueberries or weeded asparagus with a bent fork. He was in the boy scouts, earning the rank of star. He left high school and joined the United States Air Force when he was 17 years old. When he completed his basic training in Texas, he was stationed at Sheppard AFB to train as an Electrical Power Production Specialist; a skill which served him well the rest of his life. His first post after training was in Samsun, Turkey, a major Black Sea port opposite the Soviet Union. He was stationed in Turkey during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. (see Wikipedia) He then transferred to Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson where he met the love of his life Cathy O'Brien. It had to have been love because on their first date, she lost his wallet while horseback riding, with his month's salary inside and he still stayed. They were married one week before he received his discharge from the Air Force and moved to New Jersey. In August he got a position in Power Production that sent him to Iceland and the Faeroe Islands. Cathy returned to Arizona to have their first daughter, Kim, in November. She then joined him in the Faeroe Islands when Kim was 5 months old. They returned to Phoenix the following year where he ended up getting a position as a power production specialist in Thailand which in turn sent him to Vietnam where he stayed until the Tet Offensive in 1968. He resigned that position and came home to Phoenix where his second daughter Katie was born 2 weeks later. Using GI Bill, Walt attended Glendale Community College and earned an associate's degree in art. He also studied fencing and became a proficient fencer as a member of the fencing club. After graduating from Glendale CC, he attended ASU and earned a BA degree in Fine Art-Printmaking. He began working for Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph in 1972 where he stayed through all the divestitures and buy outs and ended up retiring from AT&T in 1999. He always had a thirst for knowledge and after graduating from ASU, he attended Mesa Community College to study geology and started a whole new career. Rocks, Minerals, Field trips, and Mining expeditions eventually led to opening his own business and selling some of his treasures. He said it was the only way he could afford his trips to collect but he did love it. His last show was the AL Flagg show in January of 2025. Walt was a loving husband and father and as the children (now 4 girls) got older, it was all about his family. One of Walt's greatest achievements was living in a 1-bathroom house with 5 women. Rock hunting, camping, fishing, trips of all sorts were the types of vacations over the years. Lots of trips to Camp Pinerock in Prescott for Camp Meeting and Family camp . Fun trips to Slide Rock were always on the agenda as well as camping and fishing at Burnt Corral at Apache Lake. His last trip to Burnt Corral was around March 2025 when were able to traverse Fish Creek Hill for the first time in 6 years. The last family trip was April 2025 to Lake Patagonia in southern Arizona. Walt and Cathy went on their first and only cruise in August 2022. He was able to revisit Iceland and the Faeroe Islands as well as tour all of Scandinavia. At the end of the cruise, he was able to achieve a life-long dream of touring Normandy. He was a kind, gentle man with a wry sense of humor. He is looking down on us with love and laughter with Carrie and Brian. He was a godly man whose favorite verse was Micha 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? Act justly Love mercy Walk humbly with your God. We will miss him forever. A celebration of Life will be announced at a later date