Richard Allan Johnson

May 24, 1957 - December 1, 2021

It is with great sadness that the family of Richard Johnson announce his passing at the age of 64 in Toronto, Ontario. His battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia came to a sudden end on Wednesday December 1st, 2021, with family by his side.

Richard will be forever missed and lovingly remembered by his partner of 42 years, Lucie Bergeron-Johnson; their daughters, Emilie (Thomas Dunham) and Zoée (Sean Esson); grandchildren Charlotte and Owen Dunham; sisters Beth McLean (Keith) and Linda Robertson (Ken). He will be deeply missed by his extended family and many friends and colleagues. His passion for life was felt by all who met him, and will be remembered.

Richard spent his life being fascinated by small, man-made structures: using available resources to create something unique always captured his attention. Richard wanted to study Architecture, but instead studied Engineering, before quickly changed course to study Interior Design. After working as an Environmental Designer for several years he decided to change careers: the spaces he designed would not last forever, but the photographs of the spaces would. He and his partner Lucie began a successful architectural photography business, photographing for some of the biggest names in architecture and interior design in Canada.

Never without a camera, Richard could always be found exploring new places, meeting new people, and taking photographs. His photographs can be found worldwide: Canadian Embassies, restaurants, office towers, and private residences. Richard not only had a gifted eye, but also had a unique talent to tell stories through his images. His most acclaimed bodies of work, photographs of the Ice Huts and Ice Villages of Canada, are a testament to his ability to capture subtle differences and similarities of these temporary structures from province to province. While living in Downtown Toronto, he was fascinated by the skyscrapers being built so close together, and was inspired by the moments of light that they and their reflections created. Richard found inspiration everywhere and worked on numerous personal projects over the years. Many of his works can be found on his website richardjohnson.ca.

After being diagnosed with AML in March of 2021, he chose to find joy in spite of it all, even in the way the sunbeams danced through his hospital room windows. Happiest when he was home, Richard would continue to find beauty in everyday moments.

Richard's family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Doctors and Nurses who cared for him during these last 8 months. Dr Hassan Sibai and his team at Princess Margaret Hospital, and Dr Heather Zimick and her team at Toronto Rehab Lyndhurst Center gave Richard unparalleled care and compassion during these difficult times.

A private service has taken place at his home, with a celebration of life to be held at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made in Richard Johnson's name to The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation at https://supportthepmcf.ca/ui/DonateNow/donations/start in Richard’s name or 416-946-6560 or 1-866-224-6560 (option 1) directed to the Leukemia Research Fund.