Alan Welwood Johnson

Alan W. Johnson Jr., longtime Sudbury resident, passed away Thursday, December 5th, 2024, at the age of 64. Whether you knew him as Alan, Al, AJ or Chief, Alan was a beloved husband, dad, brother, uncle, friend, and mentor.

His love of the ocean began in San Francisco, where Alan’s family lived briefly, and continued through his childhood in Chicago and Sudbury. After graduating from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and earning a business degree from Boston University, Alan enjoyed a successful career in technology. He began in sales, which he absolutely loved. As his career progressed, Alan became engrossed in how to make the bigger machine work. He naturally grew into sales operations roles, most recently as a Vice President of Global Sales Operations at Akamai Technologies and Everbridge. This followed many great years at EMC, Sun Microsystems, and Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems.

Alan loved the quantitative side of his job and was a natural problem solver. It didn’t matter if he was working on a boat engine, the brakes of a car, or a financial model to build a multinational sales organization – he loved a challenge. Alan would say that the most rewarding part of his career was the lifelong friendships he built along the way.

Alan’s greatest joy was, together with his wife Cynthia, raising their two daughters Jennifer and Julia. He cherished time with family and their Golden Retriever, Scout. Alan was a passionate golfer, Boston sports fan, and Captain of At Last. He will be remembered for his humor, generosity, and devotion.

Alan’s love for the outdoors carried through every season, but summers on the Cape were a highlight. One of his favorite sayings was that saltwater heals everything. On mornings when the sea was calm, he would routinely wake his family at sunrise to get breakfast on the Vineyard. If you rose with the sun, you’d be lucky to see Alan down by the dock coffee-in-hand with Scout. There was no happier sight of a man than Alan at the helm of his boat, surrounded by family as he charted a course.

In many ways, Alan’s friends were like family. He forged lifelong friendships with people from high school, fellow golfers at the Marlborough Country Club, as well as the great crew from EMC and the Cape. When Alan and his friends finished a fun day of golfing or boating, you could often find him holding his signature celebratory mudslide.

No matter what hat Alan was wearing–father, husband, uncle, or friend–you could depend on him to be the voice of reason. In the case of his friends, they enjoyed an annual “fishing” trip captained by AJ to Oak Bluffs every June. There is no doubt that many injuries and legal troubles were avoided by invoking his signature phrase, “That’s not a good idea.” But as serious as he was in the moment, his infectious laughter still encouraged the tomfoolery of his clueless crew. Thankfully he was always there to reel them in.

Alan is survived by his beloved wife, Cynthia (née McAdams), and their daughters, Jennifer and Julia, of Sudbury, MA. He is also survived by his sister, Martha Johnson-Neie, of Lakewood, IL; nephew Brett Neie (wife Jenny) and their son, Jones, of Austin, TX; niece Emily Venske (husband Dustin) of Seattle, WA; and his cousins in Michigan. Alan was preceded in death by his parents, Alan W. Johnson Sr. and Jean Richardson Johnson.

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, December 13, 2024 at 11:00 AM at the Sudbury United Methodist Church, 251 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA 01776.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Beth Israel Lahey Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Cardiovascular Institute, Office of Philanthropy, 529 Main St., 4th Floor, Charlestown, MA, 02129. You may also make a memorial gift online at giving.bilh.org