Embree Remy Johnson

1927 - 2015

Embree Remy Johnson
02/20/1927 - 04/27/2015
Embree Remy Johnson died on April 27, 2015, 10 years ago, in Oakland CA.
Remy was born in 1927 to John and Eula (Ramey) Johnson. He attended Carpinteria High School and was listed as "Class jitterbug" in the graduation edition of the 1945 El Rincon.
Remy played cornet in the UC Davis Marching Band. He transferred to UCLA and got his bachelor's in Horticulture. He received his master's in Agricultural Education from California Polytechnic College. He taught at Balboa High School in San Francisco in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a popular dance chaperone because he would join in when students asked him to dance. He tried to teach his daughter, Beth, the Charleston with limited success.
Remy's career was as a member of the faculty of the City College of San Francisco in the Ornamental Horticulture and Floristry Department. He especially enjoyed working with students on the annual flower show competitions in nearby county fairs.
Remy enjoyed home improvement and landscaping, camping, woodworking, singing, and photography. He worked with his son, David, on the construction of skateboard ramps, and on installing cobblestone as part of their driveway, using stone chisels from his father, John, who had done stonework. He never met a block of wood that did not have potential to be turned into something useful or interesting. A visual thinker, Remy could pack a station wagon for camping trips like living Tetris.
After his retirement, he joined the Marin Barbershop Chorus. When he moved near Vancouver, Washington to be close to family, he joined the Rose City Chorus and the Master Gardner program. Eventually he moved to Oakland to be near his daughter.
Remy was predeceased by his brother Karl Gunard, and sisters Elizabeth "Betty", Thelma, and Selma. He was married to Eloise Mayo for many years. He is survived by his children Beth (Michele) and David (Colleen), his grandchildren Hunter, Cassidy, and Max and extended family. Recently his ashes were interred at the Carpinteria Cemetery, where they rest with his parents and other family.