Gerald Roger Johnson

Gerald Roger (Jerry) Johnson (77), long-time resident of Seattle, WA, died suddenly on April 29th in Seattle at Queen Anne Healthcare. He had been hospitalized recently, undergoing surgery to correct a bowel obstruction and was on the road to a full recovery.

Jerry was born in Spokane, WA on April 3, 1941 to his parents, Carl Raymond Johnson and Bertha E. Anderson Johnson. He grew up in Spokane among many relatives and close friends. He graduated from Lewis & Clark High School (Go Tigers!) in 1959.

Jerry married his sweetheart, Jeanie Dammeier of Gig Harbor, WA, on his birthday in 1971. They had just celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary during Jerry’s recent illness. Together they had two children, Eric and Anne. Jerry was so proud of his kids, seeing them both grow into independent, successful and caring adults.

Jerry had a passion for all sports, participating in anything requiring a ball. He loved basketball and golf in particular. He also loved those Washington Huskies (from Heinrich and McElhenny to Schloredt, and Sixkiller to the present) but enjoyed talking sports of any kind. Jerry was a champion junior, “scratch” golfer in the Spokane area, having won the city junior championship and qualified for several national tournaments. Following high school, some college, and assorted work experiences including the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, Jerry decided to follow his golf passion to become a golf professional. He was a member of the Professional Golfers Association of America. He worked and instructed golf at Indian Canyon GC in Spokane, The Thunderbird CC in Palm Springs and finally at the Broadmoor CC in Seattle where he spent most of his golf career.

Jerry embarked on a second career after golf, joining FEDEX in the package delivery business. He worked hard his entire adult life and finally retired from FEDEX in 2006. Following his retirement, Jerry and Jeanie did some traveling which included many trips to visit their children. Jerry also became an avid reader (his mother would be so proud), enjoying history, and biographies of sports icons and historical legends in particular. He also found fellowship, emotional support and intellectual stimulation at his church through his bible study group in recent years. H was a member of the University Presbyterian Church in Seattle.

Jerry had the memory of an elephant and the honesty of “Old Abe.” He was unselfish to a fault and could always be counted on to find the time to do anything for anybody… he’d find a way. He had many lifelong friends. Jerry was also an admired and appreciated mentor, role model and “protector” of his younger brother, Don, in their early years in Spokane. Jerry simply wanted the best for everyone.

Jerry is survived by his devoted wife, Jeanie of Seattle; son Eric (loving partner Bethany) of Long Beach, CA; daughter Anne (Emily) of Minneapolis, MN; brother Don (Louanne) of Fort Collins, CO; and many nephews and nieces. He is also survived by his special little dog and faithful companion, Dodger. Jerry was predeceased by his parents, his brother-in-law, Brian Dammeier of Tacoma, WA and his sister-in-law, Arrol Dammeier Thieme of Seattle.

In lieu of flowers, please consider Mary’s Place, 113 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109, or a donation of your choice.

A memorial service will be at University Presbyterian Church, 4540 15th Ave. NE, Seattle 98105, on June 20th at 1:00 PM. A reception following the service also will be at the church.