Obituary: Johnson, Curtis Allan

JOHNSON,
Curtis Allan

January 3, 1957 -
June 23, 2012

The world has lost one of its better citizens with the passing of Curt Johnson, who died recently from ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Curt’s presence on this planet was the epitome of the life well-lived.

He was an avid fisherman, a relentless snow-skier and a pretty okay golfer.

He shot a decent game of basketball and was a voracious tennis player.

He knew good wine from bad, he had many, many friends, and he loved nothing more than sharing conversation and laughter with them.

A humble farmboy from Cheney, Curt traveled the world and spent many years living in Japan, teaching English there.

He became fluent in the Japanese language, and adored their women and culture.

After he returned, he earned an MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

He was an executive director on the board of directors for the Spokane-Nishinomiya Sister City Society the past 11 years.

Curt was chronically tardy for social events, but he never missed a tee time or start of a tennis match.

When skiing, he always wanted to be first on the chairlift and he disdained stopping for anything as silly as a lunch or bathroom break.

“Just go in the woods,” he’d sneer.

And at lunchtime: “You’re hungry?

Here, have a granola bar,” which he would pull from a pocket.

“You can eat it on the chairlift.

“

Friends were an important part of his life.

He had them all over the planet.

There’s the Cheney contingent of course.

But he also made lifelong friends from his stints in Japan - he met what became the Sahalie group while teaching over there.

They had annual retreats at Sahalie that became the stuff of legends.

Strangers would have also been a large part of his life — except Curt never met one.

He could, and did, talk with anybody about anything, for any amount of time.

Curt was warm, funny, intellectual, generous and endlessly curious about everything.

Always a joy to be with.

Unless he was driving - he was a reckless lunatic at the wheel.

While grateful for Washington’s Death with Dignity law, his dying wish was that he could have donated his perfectly healthy organs to save the lives of others.

But the current assisted suicide regulations and organ donation process made that impossible, much to his frustration.

Curt was deeply loved by many, many people.

He brought joy and laughter into the lives of all of them.

Even as his other motor functions faded away, his infectious smile was there to the last, and will be remembered and cherished forever.

Curt lost both his parents at a young age.

But that loss brought him the gift of being raised by the amazing Doris Splichal - his grandmother, who died just this year at 101.

Curt is survived by his brother Dana Johnson, wife Aoi Hiramatsu, his two beautiful daughters and their spouses: Kaede Johnson (John Russell), Ariel Johnson (Zach Pereyo) and grandchildren Addie and Louie.

Not to mention a passel of cousins and a host of friends.

There will be a memorial service today Saturday, June 30 at 2:00 p.m. at Hargreaves Hall on the Eastern Washington University campus.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make contributions to the ALS Service Organization.

ALSSO, P.O.

Box 48177, Spokane, WA 99228-1177.