Robert George Johnson

Robert George Johnson (“Bob”), 85, passed away quietly at home in North Saanich, Vancouver Island, BC, the early morning of September 9, 2016. Bob was predeceased by his son, Paul, in 2014. He is survived and deeply missed by his wife, Sunny; and by his children — his daughter, Shelley, her husband John Mullock, and their daughter, Nicole; his daughter Kim, and Kim’s two children, Camille (great grandchildren Phoenix and Archer and their father Cory Beaudry) and Tristan (great granddaughter Leia); his son Greg and partner Karen Bowers; by Paul’s wife Lenore and their children Ashley, Justin, and Taylor; and by his sister Norma Johnson Drosdowech of Winnipeg and her daughters Laura, Linda, Sandra and Carol.

Bob was born in Winnipeg, son of the late Olive and George Johnson. He graduated from Norwood Collegiate in 1946, and received his Master of Business Administration degree at Simon Fraser University in 1980. Both emerging from previous marriages, Bob and Sunny met in Vancouver in the mid ‘70s. They married in 1992 after a 15 year engagement during which they built their consulting practice—a business and personal relationship that thrived for 40 years.

Bob focused his life’s work and learning on business strategy. In the 60s, as Vice President and General Manager of Crown Zellerbach, Vancouver, he created a new business strategy for a chain of 50 home improvement stores, a retail success story in its day. From this experience he studied all he could find on strategy, and in the 70s developed the models, concepts and principles of his Strategic Renewal® Process used throughout his career. He blended the teachings of his two sages, business management specialist Peter Drucker and humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers, into an integrated system for creating and implementing lasting, intentional change for organizations at the crossroads.

In 1975, Bob and Sunny established their consulting firm, Trendsitions Strategy Management Inc. in Vancouver and gathered a small team of valued employees. Bob facilitated strategic development with boards, presidents, owners and managers in a wide variety of organizations, including A&W Food Services of Canada, The Rick Hansen Foundation, Finning Ltd., BC Hydro, BC Telecom (now part of Telus), Atlas Travel, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the Canadian Wood Council, Alberta Wheat Pool, the Vancouver Police Department, and Woodside, a global travel consortium, to name a few. Bob thoroughly enjoyed his work and the friendships made, learning with and guiding executive teams to sound decisions and new directions.

For example:

—A&W Food Services of Canada’s reinvention and growth from 250 drive-ins to 850 restaurants (and no drive-ins), $1billion in sales by 2015, and a remarkable industry-leading response to changing needs and customer tastes for more desirable ingredients.

—the Rick Hansen Foundation becoming strategy-driven, coupled with Rick’s relentless efforts to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injury. Rick and his Foundation have since expanded significant new initiatives in accessibility in the built environment, and in removing barriers for people with disabilities other than spinal cord injury such as loss of sight and hearing.

In 1995 Bob and Sunny retired to Sidney, Vancouver Island where Bob continued consulting part-time on a small scale until 2013.

Bob’s second passion was ocean boating. In the early 70s he bought a lovely 1938 wooden sailboat Kalliste, a 29’ Laurent Giles extended Virtue built in the UK, and sister ship to the legendary Hiscock’s Wanderer. He had Kalliste tied to his tiny float house Los Arcos in a marina beside Stanley Park, a perfect scenario for a man in love with the sea. Bob became a founding Director of the innovative Greater Vancouver Floating Home Co-operative, which was built in False Creek in 1974 on a licenced long-term water lease for members with self-powered vessels.

He has been a member of the Canadian Power Squadron and West Vancouver Yacht Club since the early ‘80s.

In 1982, Bob was part of an 18-man crew sailing the 73’ S&S yawl Kia Loa II in the Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race—a spine-chilling, peak experience of surfing waves at 20 knots on his first blue-water crossing.

In 1992 Bob and Sunny purchased their dream boat, a full-keeled, cutter-rigged Tashiba 40 PH, Raven, built for world cruising. Dream boat is an understatement. They had carried a copy of a 1989 Pacific Yachting magazine, featuring the launching of Peter Newman’s Raven, on a search for a similar boat as far as Newport, CA, and Florida, not knowing they would acquire the actual Raven at home in Vancouver!

For wilderness cruising, Raven was further outfitted under the expert technical guidance of Radek Slesinger, a friend and important coach throughout their boating years. Bob received his HAM radio certification in the early 90s and enjoyed checking in daily with net control, Barb Hodgson, of the Great Northern Boaters Net, sometimes acting as net relay when boaters were out of range.

Having already experienced offshore sailing on the Great Barrier Reef, Caribbean waters and blue water USA yacht deliveries, they turned Raven north and explored the BC coast for two decades, armed with training on weather, piloting, sailing, coastal navigation, engine and system maintenance.

Raven carried them safely through BC’s remote coastal wilderness, as far as Glacier Bay, AK, and the islands of Haida Gwaii. They were entranced by the naturescape and wildlife, seamanship challenges, the coastal residents, and the companionship of a wide range of boaters along the way, including the HAM Net community. With increasing knowledge and concern for declining stocks, they became advocates for saving BC’s wild salmon.

In 2013, Bob took off his gum boots and hung up the binoculars. From a seaside townhouse in Sidney, BC, they moved to a nearby rural home, where Bob spent his last years watching the deer and cottontails mow the meadow, feeding the chickadees out of his hand, absorbing the tranquility while writing on his laptop, and spending more time with family and friends. Despite the challenges of aging, he always said heartily, “Life is good”. His quiet warmth, wisdom and unconditional acceptance of people will be greatly missed by all. As he wished, Bob’s ashes will be spread at sea.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the countryside Saanich Peninsula Hospital, whose existence and medical staff Bob greatly appreciated over the years, or to the Shoal Seniors Centre, Sidney, BC, where he enjoyed weekly music events, exercise programs and new friendships.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Capital City Yacht Club, Sidney, BC on October 29, 2016.

Favourite Expression: I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free.

Epitath of Nikos Kazantzakis (author of Zorba The Greek)