Gary E. Johnston

Gary E. Johnston, 66, of Rio Rancho, NM, was beamed up for his next mission during the waxing full moon on September 6, 2025. Landing in Albuquerque on July 3, 1959, Gary was the second of six boys and a graduate of West Mesa High School. He married the love of his life, Donna, on September 6, 1980, and raised two daughters in the North Valley. Together, they built a lifetime of love, friendship, quality work, and shared adventures. Known for his love of Star Trek, crafts, love of camping, gentleness with animals, and steady work ethic. Gary dedicated his time to the things, people, and places he loved. As a respected member of the Friends of Camp Mary White, he helped restore several buildings during work weeks to ensure its legacy lives on. Drawing endless inspiration from space and nature, he used his favorite tools to create walking sticks, carvings, engravings, wood burnings, dreamcatchers, jewelry, and just about anything he set his mind to. Alongside his wife Donna, he was a crafts vendor at several Pagan festivals, and is fondly remembered for creating several labyrinths, including one at UUWC and the one at his home. Gary held many jobs over the years, thanks to his love for tinkering and fixing things. He maintained a steady clientele locally as a handyman and gardener. He proudly turned his barren desert backyard into the greenest yard on the block. He was always up for any job and never turned down a friend in need of help. He reflected fondly on his younger years delivering oxygen equipment for New Mexico Steel and working night shifts at distribution warehouses. In more recent years, while his health allowed, he proudly worked alongside his youngest brother, Roger, on vegetation management and mowing at solar array sites. Gary was a man who never stopped moving. Whether working with wood, repairing something, or fishing on his boat, he poured his energy into life. He rose each day with a drive to work on his hobbies, lend a hand, or learn something new. He often encouraged others to discover a skill and would patiently teach anyone willing to learn how to use tools. His legacy of helping carries on as his family shares a request to anyone born with a prostate: Please learn and talk to your doctor about PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) testing and monitor your numbers as you age. Early detection of prostate cancer and early treatment provide the best options for a longer, healthier life. Gary did not want to stop living, and in his final years, as his health declined, his daughter Andrea, a Registered Nurse living in Wisconsin, returned home to guide her parents through his complex care. With her support, Gary was able to live fully, maintaining independence with grace and dignity for as long as possible.

He is survived by his wife, daughters, grandchildren, cats, and grand puppy; his brothers, Wayne (Brenda), Bryan (Rae), Walter (Edna), and Roger (Anna); and many friends and distant relatives. He was preceded in death by his brother, Paul, and his parents, Eleanore and George. Special thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate Gary and Donna’s 45th wedding anniversary, the Presbyterian Rust Emergency Department, the Rust 4th floor nursing staff, Rio Rancho Fire & EMS, Oak Street Health, and Roadrunner Hospice. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation, 1650 Abrazo Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. Memorials may be made to Friends of Camp Mary White, https://www.friendsofcampmarywhite.com/giving

Arrangements have been entrusted to the caring and compassionate professionals at

Trujillo Family Funeral Home

“Our Family Serving Yours”