James Marvin Johnson

Jim loved his family, art, travel and fishing all of which sustained him for 89 years. He was an artist who worked in various mediums, but his favorite was sculpting public art. Jim was an active member of Pacific Northwest Sculptors and Artist in Action and the Willamette Art Center. He exhibited public art throughout the Northwest and beyond. If you travel the streets of Keizer, you can see pieces of his that emphasize themes of movement and emotion. He was the featured artist at the Oregon State Fair for several consecutive years. His passion for art was his way of sharing joy with the masses.

From 1966-68 Jim and his family lived in Nagoya, Japan. He sought the greatest mentors to hone his talents. He studied sculpture, painting, life drawing and woodblock printing. Jim participated in numerous exhibits and competitions. His most notable was his acceptance in to the Japanese national art association, Niten. He was the first and only non-Japanese accepted. Later in 1975, Jim and family returned to Japan where he was accepted for graduate study at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts in Nagoya. There he studied bronze casting, stone carving, and traditional dry lacquer.

Jim enjoyed artisanal beer and whiskey crafted by he and his friends. Whenever traveling across the country he insisted stopping at every gas station, brewery and distillery to sample local concoctions. When Jim had his valve surgery, the doctors prescribed two beers with every meal. Unfortunately the beer was Coors Lite, not the craft preferred. Jim belonged to several craft beer groups and enjoyed the weekly meetings at Santiam Brewing and Ratchet Brewery where he socialized with many friends and fellow brew aficionados.

With two world records, Jim was a legendary fisherman in the ocean and on various rivers and lakes which meant any place in a boat on the water felt like home. 1999 he was awarded the world catch record for Pacific Cod in Unalaska, Alaska with his catch weighing in at 35 lbs. In 2002 he added the world record for the Pacific Halibut catch in Unalaska, Alaska to his resume. His halibut weighed 413 lbs. and was 98 inches long. Fishing was the family pastime and as soon as children could handle a fishing rod, they would participate. As he did for other relatives, Jim designed and welded his own urn covering it in an assortment of fish he landed: salmon, halibut, cod, wahoo, steelhead, mahi-mahi, and trout to name a few.

In retirement Jim and his wife, Maggie, traveled to 30 plus countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North, South, and Central America. After Maggie’s death, Jim continued travels with his children and grandchildren doing volunteer work in many countries that he visited. He took inspiration for his art in the galleries, cultures and landscapes he visited. Three of his most frequented spots were Dutch Harbor and Kenai Alaska and Roatan, Honduras where he spent hours fishing, volunteering and relaxing while drinking.

Jim gave back to his community through his art and labors. Jim and Maggie volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and spent numerous visits to Honduras helping building and educational pursuits. Jim volunteered with the Roaring River Hatchery helping spawn fish, giving back to the creatures with which he loved to spar. In Salem, Jim was a member on the planning committee for Salem Eco Earth at Salem’s River Front Park. There he helped sculpt and cut tile in order to transform a 25-foot hollow stainless-steel ball used in paper-making into a globe depicting animals, natural sites, and human constructions.

Jim and his family loved traveling abroad but also spent time locally at their cabin on the Little North Fork of the Santiam River. Soon after Jim and Maggie’s wedding, they purchased a river side plot alongside his parents’ in which they enjoyed whatever the seasons would provide. Swimming in the river, reading, spending time in hammocks, cooking over an open fire and stargazing. Over the years Johnson’s cabin, “Desperation Den,” went through three renovations due to acts of nature, the last being the Beachie Creek fire in 2020. Because of trees lost in the fire, Jim wanted to harvest the remaining trees for his cabin rebuild, so he purchased a mill and went to work. The cabin re-build started as soon as the State Police and National Guard would allow him to pass; it took several attempts! Now there is a cabin with a porch for family and friends to gather and share memories.

Jim was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1935. His family moved to Coquille, Oregon when he was eleven. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1958 with a degree in Industrial Arts and a minor in Arts and Crafts. This is also when he met his soon-to-be wife, Maggie, who he wed in December of that year. After a year teaching in Corvallis, Oregon, they moved to Salem where he taught industrial arts at Leslie, Whiteaker and Walker Middle Schools. Jim retired in 1991 after 30 years of teaching and was able to finally pursue his true career as an artist. Jim and Maggie had three children.

Jim is survived by sons, Jim Johnson (Kirsten) and Chris Johnson, deceased (Pam); daughter, Jeannette Johnson; niece, Diane Wolfe (Craig); grandchildren: TJ, Steven, Sheena, Brandi, Alex and Cody; great grandchildren: Gabi, Elizabeth, Rubi and Lottie.

We would like to thank the staff at Salem Hospital and the staff of Salem Transitional Care for their professionalism and compassion in caring for Jim and his family.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Jim in the coming new year.

Donations can be given in Jim’s name to the American Heart Association or the Alzheimer’s Association.