Irvin Dennis Johnson

His parents were Dewey and Bertha (Nygren) Johnson. They preceded him to heaven, along with his brothers, Harold Johnson and Robert (Bobby) Johnson, and sisters, JoAnn Gainey and Elaine Seamon.

Irvin attended Molina Elementary School, and he graduated from Collbran High School. Growing up in a farming community, he learned to do many jobs; he milked cows, took care of fences, and picked peaches among other things. Other jobs he held included working on a survey crew and in a uranium mine. After High School, he attended one year at Mesa College, studying Geology. He then joined the U.S. Navy in Feb 1951. He trained and served as an Aviation Electronics Technician First Class for four years. He had a great aptitude for electronics and enjoyed the work he did while in the Navy.

After his honorable discharge in 1955, he again attended Mesa College, taking pre-Engineering courses. During this time, he also worked for KREX Television in Grand Junction, Colorado. He graduated with an Associate of Science in 1957.

While attending Mesa Junior College, he met fellow student Paula Kay Watkins, whom he described as “the prettiest girl I ever saw”. She became the love of his life and they were married on May 4, 1957, in Grand Junction, Colorado. The young couple began their family in 1958 with the birth of Michael. Cheri was born 16 months later in 1959. The family grew in 1962 with the birth of Mark, and in 1964 their last child, Sandra, was born.

In the fall of 1957, Irvin and Paula Kay moved to Boulder, Colorado. There Irvin attended the University of Colorado. While attending CU, he worked for the National Bureau of Standards, and, along with a friend, formed a company called Cryogenic Research. He earned a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in August 1959. Soon after graduation Irvin began his 31-year career as a Research Engineer with Marathon Oil Company.

During this career, he authored or co-authored more than 25 patents. He said he had many jobs, all sitting behind the same desk. One of the major projects he worked on during his time at Marathon was developing instrumentation at a Marathon Refinery in Burghausen, Germany. The entire family lived there for two years. He really enjoyed the challenge of coming up with ways to accomplish what was needed.

Irvin retired as a Senior Research Engineer in 1990. After retiring Irvin and Paula Kay moved back to his childhood home in Molina, Colorado. There he began his own business, Pinon Engineering, inspecting X-ray machines as required by the State of Colorado and designing residential septic systems.

Irvin loved the Lord and felt it was very important to get God’s Word out to everyone. He did his part in this as a member of Gideons International from 1974 through the remainder of his life. He also worked extensively with the local community. This included serving 10 years on the Plateau Valley School Board, mentoring high school students in the robotics program, serving on the Bull Creek and Vega water boards, and being active in his church.

The priorities in Irvin’s life were God, his wife, his family, church, and helping his community wherever he could.

He leaves his beloved wife, Paula K.; son, Michael (Lori) of Maui, Hawaii; daughter, Cheri (Steve) Maher of Molina, Colorado; son, Mark Johnson of Mesa, Colorado; daughter, Sandy (Craig) Dubois of Grand Junction, Colorado; 13 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Gideons International.

Services will be held at the Plateau Valley High School auditorium, Collbran, Colorado, 56600 Highway 330, Saturday, February 2, 2019, 11:00 am. Graveside services following at Mesa Cemetery.