Obituary of Donald JOHNSON

Donald Elwood Johnson passed away August 22, 2007 in Lake Havasu City, AZ. He was born July 3, 1933, in a farmhouse in Sutherland, NE to Theda and Willis Johnson.He grew up in North Platte, NE, moving to Cheyenne, WY, where his mother worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. He graduated from Cheyenne High in 1952, where he played football. He then attended the University of Wyoming on a football scholarship for one year. He left school to work at Boeing Aircraft and was soon drafted into the U.S. Army and left at the rank of sergeant after serving in Japan. Don returned to Cheyenne and married Mary Jane Patton. In 1960, Don graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Wyoming. He worked as an engineer for Standard Oil, of California, and Hercules powder Company in Salt Lake City, UT, before returning to Laramie, WY in 1964. He joined Jack Patton in the home building business. Don and Mary Jane were married for 24 years and had two children, Timothy Donald and Jacklyn Michele.Don served on the Albany School Board and was a member of the Kiwanis Club. He was a Boy Scout leader for troop 134, and also a Mason. Later divorcing, Don left Laramie in 1987, moving to Prescott Valley, where he was a building inspector. Don moved to Lake Havasu City in 1990, where he was a plans examiner for the city. Don was a board member of the Havasu Heights Water District. He shared his life with Rosy Dodd. He retired in 2004, and soon developed symptoms of Chronic Leukemia, which ultimately took his life.He his survived by his companion, Rosy; son, Timothy (Sara) Johnson and grandsons, Taylor and Thomas of Bozeman, MT; daughter, Jacklyn (Scot) Dowdy, and grandsons, Kirk and Ryan, of Ft. Collins, CI; and his sister, Nona Chrone, of South Addison, ME.Memorials may be made to Hospice of Havasu, PO Box 597, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405.