Clifford Hastings Johnson

Clifford Hastings Johnson
02/26/2025
Clifford Hastings "Hasty" Johnson, 76, of Houston and Aspen, lost his life in a skiing accident in Colorado on February 26. He died doing something he loved in a place he loved. As a devoted husband and father, he shared myriad adventures with loved ones, scaling jagged peaks in the Rockies with one daughter, galloping on horseback at midnight with the other, and hiking and biking miles upon miles with his wife and partner.

When he met real estate developer Gerald D. Hines, Hasty found a kindred spirit. He joined Hines in 1978 and spent forty-five years at the firm, retiring as Vice Chairman in 2023. He initiated the firm's acquisition program and developed the firm's investment management business, serving on the company's Executive and Investment Committees.

Hasty believed it was better to remain silent than to say nothing. While some found his quiet unnerving, they soon discovered his remarkable ability to listen and that the insights, empathy, and wit were worth the wait. When he spoke, he expressed himself with a candor that reflected the integrity of his character. He inspired trust.

While shouldering great responsibilities, he always made time for recreation, hiking, skiing, rock climbing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, biking, fishing, and bird hunting. Traveling and reading were passions. Often choosing challenging and improbable paths, Hasty would provide levity in the face of snow, sleet, mud, and misdirection while his constant companion, Sis, manned the map. In his adventurous life, he climbed the Matterhorn, explored remote regions of Africa, dived the coral reefs in the South Pacific as well as Little Cayman, and fished the jetties of Matagorda Bay.

He was born in Columbus, Georgia, and named after his father and grandfather. He attended Woodberry Forest School and Georgia Tech, where he graduated with a BS in Industrial Engineering. He then served in the Navy as a supply officer on the Mediterranean front and earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1975.

He is survived by his dedicated wife of forty-six years, Edith H. "Sis" Johnson; his daughters, Alice Hastings Johnson and Ann Morrow Johnson; her husband, Francisco Rivera; and his siblings, Gwynn Polidoro, Lloyd Johnston, and Joel Johnson.

This quiet man will speak volumes to all who knew and loved him for the rest of our lives, as we attempt to model his competence, humility and adventurous spirit.

The family will hold a memorial service in Houston in the coming weeks to celebrate the life of this beloved remarkable man.

If you wish to honor his life with a charitable contribution, please consider a gift to the C. Hastings Johnson Memorial Fund at https://ghcf.kimbia.com/chastingsjohnsonmemorialfund, a vehicle to support the causes nearest and dearest to his heart.