Michael Dean Johnson

Mike Johnson left his earthly body on June 9th, 2023, at 67 years old, in Santa Cruz, California.
Born on Halloween of 1955 to devoted parents Dean and Lorraine Johnson. Mike was a long, lean, and lanky kid raised in Palo Alto. He was a classic northern California guy whose straw blonde hair matched the foothills where he loved riding cars, motorcycles, skateboards, and the occasional unicycle. He was a natural on skis, whether on snow or on a lake. He was also an avid angler, sharing good times and multitudes of freshly caught fish with friends and family.
Mike and his siblings, Mitch and Judy, learned to sew early on from their grandmothers, and all became talented creators stitch by stitch. Mike began working in the auto upholstery industry as a teenager, and it became a 40-year trimming career. Mentored by Sid Chavers, Mike worked alongside his brother Mitch for many years and ended his career by developing the upholstery department at Canepa in Scotts Valley. He was considered the best of the best in trimming, a fine craftsman whose hands held so much knowledge and the respect of those throughout the industry. His artful touch left his mark on some of the world's most beautiful and collectible cars and most of the Porsche 959 in it. Mike was humble about his skills and proud of his work. Mike worked very hard at his craft because he always worked for and with the people he loved.
In his 20's he married Tara Johnson, with whom he had two tow-headdaughters. He enjoyed a brief second marriage much later in life with an old friend, Amy Davis.
As a Father to Lauren and Katie, Mike practiced the proverb about 'teaching a man a fish', by exemplifying how to make and do for oneself. This pedagogy produced two incredibly strong-willed, skilled, and self-reliant women. Of all the things he made in his life, there is no doubt that it was his daughters in which he took the most pride. With his girls, he was a delightful goofball, blasting the Grateful Dead, cracking jokes, and being a prankster. He took them camping often, drove through the most enormous puddles in town for thrills, and made the most epic Halloween costumes with just upholstery foam and spray paint. He built them bikes, skateboards, and matching first cars from junkyard finds. He showed them cool hidden spots around Palo Alto to discover: often behind fences, over hills, and grown over. He taught his girls to drive stick, forage, and fish, and love freshly caught food. Oh, and to brush their hair before they leave the house "at least!".
Mike had a sweet solitary soul and preferred the company of a stray cat or an aging blue jay to a gathering of people. However, he was quietly brought to tears by a small retirement party thrown for him in 2022. He was committed to finding treatment to eliminate the cancer they found in his lung. However, his body, which had worked so hard, was, like many a car seat he replaced, simply worn out. Mike was preceded in death by his brother, best friend, and lifelong co-conspirator Mitch Johnson. His surviving family deeply misses him: His parents, Dean and Lorraine, his sister Judy and his Daughters, Lauren, and Katie. His daughters look forward to Mike's gentle spirit guiding and protecting their children from beyond as they grow their families.
A gathering to celebrate Mike's life will occur in the fall. To offer condolences to Mike's family and be added to the guest list, please use this website: bit.ly/MIKEJOHNSON In lieu of flowers the family asks that you eat well, prioritize your health and hug your loved ones.