Kiehner Johnson

Kiehner Johnson, known fondly as “Jake,” passed away on October 4, 2022 at the age of 96 after a brief illness. He embraced life in all its dimensions, and he lived a happy and engaged life as a lawyer and judge, and as a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. A native of Youngstown, and son of the late Jacob Kiehner Johnson and Corinne Woodworth Johnson, he attended the Upper Arlington Schools. Upon his graduation from high school in 1944, he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a Petty Officer 3d Class from 1944 to 1946. He then entered the University of Michigan, graduating with a B.A. in economics and subsequently a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He then served for five years as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio, before being appointed by then-Governor C. William O’Neill to serve as Ohio’s Deputy Superintendent of Insurance. After serving as a prosecutor in Franklin County, Ohio, he entered private law practice as an associate and later a partner in the firm of Greek, King & McMahon, spanning the years 1959 to 1979. His firm then merged into the national law firm of Baker & Hostetler, where he served as a partner from 1979 until his retirement in 1990. He was then appointed by then-Governor George Voinovich to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, on which he served as a member and later its chairman during the years 1991 through 2003. Upon his retirement from law practice and public service, he enjoyed an energetic life full of travel, croquet tournaments, and the joys of spending time with his children and their growing families.

Jake was married for 54 years to Elizabeth “Tibbi” Sterner Johnson, who died in 2009 after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. They lived their entire married life in Bexley, where they raised three daughters and built a remarkable circle of friends. They were active in civic and cultural affairs in the community, including in the Columbus Museum of Art, Broad Street Presbyterian Church, and the Rocky Fork Hunt & Country Club.

In a reflection of his dedication to living life well, at the age of 90 Jake married Jane Mykrantz, who had lost her husband Peter Mykrantz to cancer in 2009. They were inseparable partners over the past five years, and gave each other much joy and companionship that reflected their mutual embrace of living life to its fullest.

Jake was an avid croquet player, and only a few weeks before his death he spoke of getting better so that he could participate in the winter croquet season. He frequently participated in and occasionally won regional and national croquet tournaments, and was a patron member of the National Croquet Center in Palm Beach, Florida, and a member of the United States Croquet Association.

Jake was a loving father to his three daughters, Elizabeth, Frances and Jennifer, and a wonderful father-in-law to their husbands James Taylor, Timothy Hester and Kurt Eve. And he was a particularly beloved figure for his seven grandchildren – Elizabeth Hester (and her husband Spencer Martin), Thomas and Abigail Hester; Dr. Matthew M. Taylor (and his wife Dr. Rachael Taylor) and Frances Taylor; Alex and Kevin Eve; great-grandson Nicolas Hester; his cousin and her husband Jane Woodworth Read and Todd Read; his sister-in-law Frances S. Richardson; nephews and their wives, Lt. Col. (Rtd) Robert E. and Marcie Bassler III and Thomson and Helen Bassler. Jake’s full-spirited embrace of life, his calm, thoughtful demeanor, his optimism, his endless enjoyment of fun and new things, and his razor-sharp humor will always be an inspiration and a blessing to the family he leaves behind. This was a life well-lived.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Broad Street Presbyterian Church Foundation, 760 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43205; the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215; Columbus School for Girls, 66 S. Columbia Ave., Bexley, Ohio 43209 or a charity of your choice.

A memorial service will be held at Broad Street Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, 2022.

Arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER MIDTOWN CHAPEL. Online condolences can be made at www.schoedinger.com.