A. Earl Johnson

Earl's struggles of the past several years ended in the early hours of Jan. 16, 2008.
Earl was born on Sept. 1, 1923, to Samuel Albert Johnson and Sarah Kathleen Tatum Johnson in Wilson, N.C. He grew to adulthood hunting squirrels and gigging frogs in the woods of rural North Carolina. At the age of 18, he entered the United States Army to serve his country in a hospital unit during the World War II. While in the military, Earl was introduced to the sciences, in which he excelled. After the war ended, Earl was the first in his family to pursue a college education. Ever the outdoorsman, Earl moved to Logan, Utah, to study forestry at Utah State University. He put himself through school by driving a cab, and during the summers, he worked as a forest ranger at Bryce National Park. He received a bachelor's degree in 1950 and a master's degree in zoology in 1952. Earl ultimately went to work for the United States Department of Agriculture in Logan, studying the effects of poisonous plants on livestock.
While attending Utah State, Earl met the first love of his life, Patricia ("Pat") Durfey. Earl and Pat married on Dec. 23, 1947, and together they had four children. While married to Pat, Earl converted to the LDS Church, and they were sealed in the Logan LDS Temple on Dec. 23, 1961. Pat died tragically in childbirth on Aug. 12, 1962. She was followed three days later by their newborn daughter, Jennie, who passed on Aug. 15, 1962.
Shortly thereafter, mutual friends introduced Earl to Ruth Peterson Lewis, a Wyoming widow with five young children. Ruth would become the second love of his life. After a long-distance courtship, Ruth and Earl married in the Logan LDS Temple, joining their two families on May 3, 1963. Together they had two sons. Ruth died on April 14, 2007, after a battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Earl was a faithful member of the LDS Church and served in many callings throughout his life. In 1993 and 1994, he and Ruth served a mission in Washington state, and until Ruth's illness, they worked in the Logan Temple together. Earl was a fascinating man with a dry, quick wit. He loved to hunt and fish, could identify any bird he saw, and describe at length the workings of almost any physiological process.
Earl is survived by his 10 children, Robbie Lewis Sawyer (Ken), Kathie Lewis Watts (Randy), Pam Johnson, David Lewis (Sheila), Jeri Johnson Bolinder (Larry), Jeffrey Lewis (Nancy), Deanne Johnson Kirby (Brent), Julie Lewis Lundstrom (Gary), Michael Johnson (Kathryn), and Brett Johnson; 51 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Marie Johnson Pupich of Gardnerville, Nev., and Zora Johnson Turley of Granada Hills, Calif. He is preceded in death by his brother Kenneth. In the last few years of his life, his friends and neighbors were a great support to him.
Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008, in the Lundstrom Park Third Ward Chapel, 1260 N. 1600 East. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday evening at the Allen-Hall Mortuary in Logan and from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the church . Interment will be in the Beaver Dam Cemetery with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, Earl's family encourages donations to the Utah State Library for the Blind, 250 N. 1950 West, Suite A, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84116. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net.