Lee Edwin Johnson

Lee Edwin JOHNSON Age 65, died August 18, 2008, on Mercer Island, Washington, from colon cancer. He was born October 15, 1942, in Ames, Iowa. He spent his childhood years in Avoca, Iowa, where he was active in sports, music, and academic competition. Lee was an Eagle Scout and graduated valedictorian of his high school class in 1960. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1964 with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. Lee married his high school sweetheart, Janet Mez, in 1964, and they moved to Washington, D.C., where he began his patent law career with the DuPont Company. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., in 1968 with a Juris Doctorate degree. In the following years Lee worked in patent law in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, and Dallas, Texas, before moving to Mercer Island, Washington, in 1971. He spent his entire Seattle career at the patent law firm of Christensen, O'Connor, Johnson, Kindness. For many years, he was a member of the firm's management committee and served as the senior managing partner. Lee was a member of the Wisconsin, Texas, and Washington State Bar Associations, Seattle Rotary Club, Mercer Island Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, and the Seattle Yacht Club, where he held many leadership and board positions. Lee had been a member of the Mercer Island Rotary Club, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services Board, Mercer Island Civil Service Commission, Seattle Lutheran Compass Center Board. He also served on the Bastyr University Board of Trustees and its executive committee. Lee's favorite activities included boating, skiing, fishing, backpacking, listening to classical music (especially Bach and brass), and figuring out all kinds of electronics. He liked to spend several weeks every year aboard his Grand Banks boat cruising the coastal waters of Washington State and British Columbia. He enjoyed his last cruise in Desolation Sound just two weeks ago. His optimistic, positive, and outgoing spirit was always with him. Lee was an excellent mechanic and gourmet cook, and he liked to spend hours with his computer studying the approaching weather patterns. He could always be counted on for the latest weather forecast. He is survived by his wife, Janet; and son, Derek, who is a pediatrician and allergist in Fairfax, VA, and his partner Cary Chavis. He is survived also by his mother, Betty; two brothers, Gary and David; and ten nieces and nephews and their families. Memorial service is Tuesday, August 26th, at 2:00 p.m. at Plymouth Congregational Church, Seattle. Remembrances may be made to Seattle Lutheran Compass Center, Seattle Yacht Club Foundation, Seattle Rotary Service Foundation, or a charity of choice.