Tributes: Tom Johnson lived life to the fullest

Tom Johnson believed.

It had to have been his gift at birth, this self-assurance and positive attitude that forged his path in life. Where others saw “shouldn’t” and “couldn’t,” he saw “why not?” and “possible.”

These traits were manifested very early in his life. As a fourth-grader in the 1960s he rode along with his mother on a shopping trip to the Fourth Street Safeway in Coeur d’Alene, and looked up the butcher, who had a car for sale. He asked him if he would trade it for a trombone.

“Well, OK,” the butcher said.

When the shopping was finished, Tom rode back with his mother to their Spokane River home, picked up his trombone and rode his bicycle back to the Safeway. The trade was made, he put his bike in the trunk and drove his car home. He parked it up the hill a bit from the house – no need to upset Mom, after all.

When his dad came home Tom was waiting for him, told him what he had done, and for a while it was their secret. Tom, a North Idaho homebuilder, died April 29 in an accident that also injured his wife, Cyndie. A Spokane native who was raised in Post Falls, he was 50 years old.

The couple was on a 1,700-mile tour with friends when their motorcycle was struck by a pickup in Valle de Palmas, Mexico, The Spokesman-Review previously reported.

Friends of the family have said the other driver was drunk.

Tom was the father of three athletic children, including a son who died of heart failure late last year.

He had started his first business, Crescent Homes in 1989, and the firm started by developing Coeur d’Alene’s Centennial Place subdivision. Crescent built more homes in North Idaho, as well as Liberty Lake, Spokane and elsewhere in Washington.

More recently, he and Neighborhood Inc. business partner Cliff Mort were developing the Mill River development.

With a father who was an aircraft mechanic at Fairchild Air Force Base and a mother who was an educator, Tom seemed to have received the best attributes of both. Family and friends say he had an innate drive and capability to create that led him to his life’s work in construction.

He also believed in love. When he was a 14-year-old student at Post Falls High, a pretty new girl walked into geography class, Cyndie Pfundheller. He took one look at her and told his buddies, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.” And he did.

They married in Post Falls on May 22, 1976, after their freshman year at the University of Idaho.

In 1977, with one year of architectural studies under his hat, Tom set out to learn the construction trade from the ground up.

As he progressed from worker to supervisor to developing Crescent Homes, his experience in the field provided answers to problems his employees encountered. He always took the time to listen and teach, often working alongside his crew.

In his 50 years, Tom traveled and scuba dived, flew planes and sailed, and took cooking and dancing lessons. He encouraged his children to be active and develop their scholastic and athletic abilities.

One daughter, Desiree Johnson Barclift, would become the women’s swim team captain at the University of Washington, while the other, Aubree Johnson, was a co-captain of Arizona State University’s women’s basketball team, the newspaper previously reported.

When the Johnson’s son Jordan was 4, Tom bought him a 1975 Chevy pickup. And just as Tom’s dad had helped him repair the butcher’s car, Tom and Jordan worked over the pickup, making it run well and restoring it to look brand new. Jordan named it Black Jack, and it was their project for 11 years.

Last November, at the age of 15, Jordan, a competitive swimmer, died in his sleep from a heart defect. Tom and Cyndie weathered this trial together, as they did everything.

When the children were small the Johnsons got together with friends in an early-morning group they called the River Riders. They had T-shirts made and the rule was, you had to ride something on the water.

Sometimes the little kids who were frightened would just ride with Tom as he water-skied, but before long he’d have them out there trying things for themselves. He taught them to be brave, and then they’d have breakfast together. Tom believed in friendship.

Family members says there were only a few times that he become angry, and that was when some foolhardy man dared pay unwanted attention to his wife or daughters. And then there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who was in charge of the situation.

He would tell his girls, “You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll tell you when you need to be afraid.”

Tom’s family says he had a deep Christian faith and held meetings in his office at noon on Wednesdays that became known as “The Gathering.” Businessmen came together and discussed uplifting literature and how each might improve their stewardship.

He knew from his own experience that Christian principles apply across the board, and that the law of the harvest is always in effect. Family members say Tom believed in God; it was his joy and aim simply to share what he knew to be true.

Today the Johnsons’ front porch is graced with a piece of black polished stone etched with John 14:27. The message is simply this: “Be at peace; don’t be troubled, don’t be afraid.”