Roy V. Johnson Jr.

Roy V. Johnson Jr. March 11, 2026

Roy Victor Johnson Jr., 74 - beloved father, husband, brother, and friend - passed away peacefully on March 11th, in Colchester, VT after a 30-year journey with Parkinson's disease. He walked every day of it with the quiet grace of the Vermont hills he so deeply loved.

We like to think he found his way back to Sunderland, hopped on his gator, and headed straight into the woods around Equinox Mountain, back where he always belonged. Where a part of him never left. Where the trees knew him. Where the trails remembered his footsteps.

Roy was born June 7th, 1951 in Huntington, New York to Roy and Elizabeth Johnson. His family relocated to Vermont when he was young, where they built and ran the beloved Shanty Gift Shop in Sunderland for many years. He graduated from Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, VT with the class of 1969, a place and a community that shaped him deeply.

Adventure brought Roy to California, and California brought him to Penny. Together they made their way back to Vermont to raise their family - back to the land that always had his heart. Over 40 years they built something real and lasting, finding their footing through every season life handed them and holding steady through all of it.

Roy believed in taking part of his community and he served on the Sunderland select board and was a local zoning administrator for many years. Roy was Vermont in the truest sense. Its trails, its rivers, its backroads and his land ran through him like roots. He knew every tree on every path, loved every season the hills had to offer, and moved through it all singing, whistling, and humming. He held a deep respect for this earth and a wisdom about Vermont history and its land that he carried humbly and shared generously with everyone fortunate enough to walk beside him.

Parkinson's asked much of him over three decades. He faced each challenge but accepted the realities - slowly, honestly, and entirely on his own terms. He never stopped being Roy. Even as his body changed, his spirit held steady: curious, warm, connected, and quietly joyful. Those who loved him will tell you his grace never wavered. Not once.

Roy's greatest joy was spending time with his family and his dogs. He is survived by his wife, Penny, children Jeremy (Emily), Sarah (Jeffrey) and grandchildren Henry & Leo - who loved him, learned from him, and will carry his hum with them always. He is also survived by his sister, Joan Earle and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff of UVM's Frederick C. Binter Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder, especially Dr. James Boyd for his exceptional care.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Binter Center in Roy's memory. Or simply do what Roy would have done - take a walk somewhere beautiful, notice something small, and leave it a little better than you found it.

A private celebration of Roy's life will be held in the summer, among the Vermont land he loved so well.

Sweet surrender, Roy. You earned your rest.