Erik Hampton Johnson

Erik Hampton Johnson was the son of Major Sven Erik Johnson, United States Army, originally of Gavle, Sweden, and his mother, Lieutenant Eleanor Janice Batte Johnson, an army nurse during World War II, of Venton, LA.

As a liaison officer, Major Johnson was posted to many countries after the war, first to Japan, and shortly after to San Antonio, TX, where Erik was born on July 31, 1948.

From Texas, the family moved to military housing in Germany, where Erik spoke German until he was five years old.

The family returned to the United States and military quarters in Tacoma, WA, and after a brief hiatus, were stationed in Poitiers, France, where Erik learned French as a second language.

Major Johnson's last posting was at the Presidio in San Francisco, CA, where he retired. Erik settled into life in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Erik attended Lincoln High School in San Francisco. As a scholar, he was always on the Dean's list, and as an athlete, he played basketball and golf.

His high school achievements included becoming an All-City basketball champion, President of the Student Body in senior year, and "Mr. Lincoln" for his many contributions to the life and culture of the school.

Upon graduation in May of 1966, he chose to attend UC Berkeley with scholarships from ROTC and another from the Cal basketball team.

Once at Cal, he rushed Sigma Phi Fraternity which became a mainstay of his life. The men he met there became the friends he would hold dear for the rest of his life. "Friendship, love, and truth" became a guiding motto.

During his time in Berkeley, he became politically active and socially conscious, dedicating his life to the ideas of social justice, inclusion, and spiritual enlightenment.

Erik met Pamela Ann Carlton in 1971, and they married on December 1, 1972, in Berkeley, CA. They honeymooned in Jamaica in the West Indies, where they fell in love with the island.

Together they raised three boys, Michael Erin Murphy Johnson, Owen Brooke Johnson, and Adam Erik Johnson in Oakland, CA.

Always wanting to fly, Erik became a pilot and flew his family and friends around the United States for business and pleasure.

The family loved travel. Erik and Pamela viewed it as part of the boys education that opened them to other cultures and people. Eventually, the family returned to Jamaica to buy a house in their adopted country.

The family's time in Jamaica became another cornerstone in the lives of family members. Throughout the years, they developed close friendships, became part of the environmental movement, began a recycling company, and promoted ecological tourism.

During his lifetime, Erik had a number of successful businesses. In 1980, he entered into a development partnership that took him to the Sierra Foothills outside Marysville, CA, in the small town of Oregon House.

Erik fell in love with the mountains, rivers, warm summers, and a piece of land with a waterfall and swimming hole.

After the children graduated from high school, Erik and Pamela moved to Oregon House permanently, where Erik continued to manage the acres he owned and become part of the community.

Throughout his life, Erik always had a hand ready to extend to others. He offered many a man a loan or gift to start a business, saying everyone deserved an opportunity.

He was a man that others came to for advice, for friendship, and strength. An adherent of Shorinji Kempo, a martial art with a healing component, he always had time to adjust an unbalanced body or use pressure points to rid someone of a headache.

He passed away on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, surrounded by his family and friends.

Erik is survived by his wife, of 52 years, Pamela; sons, Michael Erin; daughter-in-law, Sofia Perry; their children, Liam Immanuel Erik (20) and Nora Marlena (11); son, Owen Brooke; his children Nicolas Sebastian (22), Emery Dylan (19) and Cayden Levi (12) by a first marriage; and his partner, Amanda Leela Eule; and her son, Ayden Gregory LaVoye (13).

He is also survived by his son, Adam Erik; daughter-in-law, Clarice Thai; their children, Dyllan Adam (11), Maverick Robert Erik (7), and Kaiel William (4); his sister-in-law, Patti Carlton Buckley; brother-in-law, Patrick Buckley of New Orleans, LA; sister-in-law, Phyllis Carlton Partain; brother-in-law, Adrian Partain of Lake Lure, NC; and step-brother, Fred Thomas of San Francisco, CA.

A Celebration of Life is planned for June.

Never Forget