Phillip Richard Johnson

Phillip Richard Johnson was born in Hartford, Connecticut on November 8, 1944. When he was born his father Robert K. Johnson was an Ensign in the Navy stationed in Connecticut, and his mother Florence had recently arrived via train from the West Coast. After WWII the family returned to Washington.

Phillip or “Phil” as he was commonly called grew up in Spokane, Washington and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1963. As a teenager, Phillip received a ham radio as a birthday gift and a lifelong love of radio was born. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Reserve in 1965 as an electronics specialist, and later direct-commissioned as an officer. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated with a BA in Sociology. For most of his career he worked at KIRO News Radio as a broadcast journalist, and covered crime, business, and world news. He traveled to London to cover the royal wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, Argentina to cover the Falklands War, and Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War.

As a thank you from the U.S. military for soliciting and airing messages home from U.S. troops during the Gulf War, Phillip was offered and accepted a backseat ride with the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds while they practiced for the annual air show at McCord Air Force Base (now Joint Base Lewis-McCord). He also visited Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica on the USCG Cutter Polar Sea, an icebreaker that reached McMurdo Station on its 2006-2007 voyage. He saw penguins, whales, and majestic glaciers on this incredible trip. Coincidentally in 1976 as a USCG reserve officer, Phillip was the master of ceremonies (MC) when the other USCGC icebreaker in the fleet, Polar Star, was commissioned in Seattle. Phillip retired as a Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard Reserve after more than 30 years of service. After his retirement Phillip MC’d a number of USCG Retiree Association balls, and maintained the association website. He also volunteered with King County emergency alert system (EAS).

Phillip was an avid fan of spy novels, murder mysteries, and British television. He appreciated classical music, puns, and scrabble. He was always willing to ride a roller coaster, and enjoyed camping trips to watch plays at the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. These camping trips included listening to shortwave radio and BBC broadcasts by campfire.

Phillip battled cancer for over a year, and passed away in the presence of family at Northwest Hospital on Tuesday March 19, 2024. He is dearly missed. He is survived by his beloved wife Tessa, children Aaron and Amanda, step-children Faye, John, and Vanessa, and siblings Peter, Sally, and Rob. He is fondly remembered by his grandchildren Amaryah, Stephanie, Roham, and Ellia. In accordance with his wishes his ashes will be committed to the deep by the U.S. Coast Guard.