Developer dies in Mexico

North Idaho homebuilder Tom Johnson died about noon Sunday in a motorcycle accident near Tecate, Mexico, that also injured his wife, Cyndie. She was in stable condition Monday following surgery for a broken pelvis and leg at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego.

The accident took place on the last leg of a 1,700-mile motorcycle tour that the couple had taken with friends, said Telect CEO Wayne Williams, who was acting as a family spokesman. Tom Johnson struck a pickup that cut in front of him on a narrow road in Valle de Palmas, according to Williams. His wife was seated behind him on the motorcycle.

“Tom’s a very good rider. … He had no time to react,” Williams said. “The driver of the pickup was found to be intoxicated.”

Ambulance crews transported Johnson, 50, to a hospital in Tecate, where he was pronounced dead. Cyndie Johnson, 49, was taken by ambulance to the U.S.-Mexico border and airlifted to San Diego, where she underwent surgery. Doctors anticipate she’ll need about three months of therapy to regain her ability to walk, Williams said.

The couple’s two daughters, Aubree and Desiree, and Desiree’s husband, Cameron Barclift, were at the hospital Monday. Aubree Johnson’s basketball coach and teammates from Arizona State University drove 6 ½ hours to be with the family, Williams said.

This is the second tragedy to strike the Johnsons in recent months. The couple’s 15-year-old son, Jordan, died in his sleep of heart failure in November, while the family was in the Virgin Islands watching Aubree play in a basketball tournament.

“They handled Jordan’s death with such grace and integrity,” said Linda Lanker, a Coeur d’Alene High School track coach who was helping Cyndie Johnson train for a mini-triathalon. “The one peace those girls will have is knowing that Tom and Jordan are together in heaven.”

Tom Johnson left his mark on North Idaho as a developer and avid supporter of youth sports, family members and friends said.

“The community has lost such an all-around great person,” Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem said. “He had a vision for what was good for the community … and the can-do attitude to make it happen.”

On Saturday, she helped dedicate a new public park in the Mill River development that Johnson and his partner, Cliff Mort, were creating on an old mill site. The park includes 1,000 feet of beach and a public dock on the Spokane River.

In previous interviews, Johnson said he wanted Mill River to have the ambience of a Sanders Beach or Fort Grounds neighborhood, with plenty of public spaces.

Johnson and Mort’s firm, Neighborhood Inc., also donated 10 acres of land as part of an incentive package that brought U.S. Bank’s call center to Coeur d’Alene. Neighborhood Inc. and another business partner, Victory Homes Inc., recently pledged $300,000 to the Kroc Community Center.

“Tom was one of those unique individuals where the glass wasn’t half full, it was full and overflowing,” said Sandy Pantano, a family friend. “He lived a dream life; he was smart and likable. And he went one step further to give back to the community.”

Johnson was born in Spokane, but his parents later moved their family to Post Falls, where Johnson met his future wife at Post Falls High School. The couple married in 1977.

After a year at the University of Idaho, Johnson left to learn the construction trade. He worked in Idaho, Alaska and Arizona before starting his own company in 1989, Crescent Homes. Coeur d’Alene’s Centennial Place was the company’s first subdivision.

“It was the first of many projects we did together,” said Gary Schneidmiller, owner/broker of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, who recommended Johnson’s work to Jake Dodge, the subdivision’s developer.

“Tom had a well-developed sense of wanting to create something that was lasting,” he said.

Johnson’s firm also built homes in Liberty Lake and Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Auburn, Wash. He was also one of several partners in GarageTown USA, which builds condo storage units. The concept has been so successful that the three-year-old firm has projects under way in five states.

Johnson’s leisure interests included boating, motorcycles, cars and airplanes. He was also active with his wife in their children’s sports. All three of their kids were competitive swimmers. Desiree Johnson Barclift went on to become the captain of the University of Washington’s women’s swim team, while Aubree Johnson was a co-captain of Arizona State University’s women’s basketball team.

“Tom and Cyndie were at every swim meet,” said Sue Thilo, whose daughter also competed in swimming. “The family has made wonderful contributions to the Kroc Center, which will finally give us a pool.”

In addition to his wife and daughters, Johnson is survived by three sisters, Kaye LeFebvre of Post Falls; Bonnie Swenson of Encinitas, Calif.; and Lisa Crimp of Gresham, Ore.; and a brother, John Johnson of Post Falls.

English Funeral Chapel will be handling the funeral arrangements.