Dr. Val Johnson

Valerie Kim Johnson, age 67, of Haslett, MI passed away on January 10, 2023.

Val was born on February 16, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in Southfield with her parents, Jan and Don, in the days when she could ride horses around the then rural fields.

Val earned a degree in landscape architecture from Michigan State University in 1976. After graduating, she applied her artistic talents to making maps and sketches for the DNR and Snell Environmental. She briefly pursued an advanced degree in landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, before deciding to attend medical school, and graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982. Following her residency in family practice at Sparrow Hospital, she worked in urgent care and pursued adventure and love of the outdoors as the physician in residence at Yosemite National Park. Val joined the Sparrow Family Health Center in 1987 as a faculty member with the residency program, where she trained and mentored many young physicians for over 30 years. Val married Bill Fahey in 1995 and found her greatest joy as a mother.

Val was an unstoppable force of nature and a true free spirit. She touched every person she met, whether as a friend, mother, wife, daughter, stepmother, grandmother, neighbor, leader, or supporter. She was welcoming, supportive, curious, enthusiastic, generous, active, brilliant, inspiring, and uniquely funny. Val loved life with intensity. She had an opinion on everything, which she would share honestly, whether you wanted to hear it or not. She was an incredible friend to so many people. She never made enemies, or if she did, she didn’t know or care. Her smile lit up rooms. Her laugh filled arenas. Val was authentically herself every moment, and made those around her feel comfortable in being themselves. She lived a life full enough for several people, and had an energy large enough for several more. Everyone close to her would agree she was special and there is absolutely no one else like her.

Val had many talents and passions. She was an imaginative artist, leaving her mark all around the family home with paintings on the walls of several rooms, dishes, and various household objects. She loved nature, from backpacking with friends in the wilderness to family vacations spent hiking and snorkeling in the Caribbean, Isle Royale, Yosemite, and the Galapagos. She was dedicated to reducing her carbon footprint and protecting nature. Val was an equestrian, an avid three-day eventer, and horse-nerd extraordinaire. Horses were her passion from a young age, and she never tired of them. Many knew her famous four-legged friend, Winslow, from the pair's countless successes in eventing, both in Michigan and across the US. She gave her horses over-the-top attention and care. If she was not at home, it was common knowledge that “Mom is at the barn.” Even in her late 60s, Val was riding at a high level, striving to better her skills and her horse every day.

There is a huge hole in the universe without her. Losing Val shook her family, her many circles of friends, the horse community, the medical community, her neighborhood, her daughter's friends, and countless others. She leaves us many lessons. May we all have the courage to jump picnic tables in shorts on a horse no one else can ride. May we remember to dance to our own beat, regardless of who is watching. May we explore the corners of the earth that excite us. May we reach out to those we love whenever we are thinking of them, just to say we are there. May we plant our own gardens and make salads from them. May we snorkel with sharks and jellyfish with glee. May we skate down the frozen campus river to get to class.

Val is survived by her husband Bill; their daughter Ariel; stepchildren Patty, Carrie, Thomas, and Maggie; grandchildren Max, Nazar, Angelina, Liza, Evan, Eliana, Eleanor, and Ivy; stepmother Margaret, stepsister Kim, and stepbrother Bill; beloved horses Henson and Susu; dogs Tonks, Poppy, and Nugget; and by many, many relatives and friends. Val was preceded in death by her mother Jan and father Don.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 21 at 4 p.m., preceded by visitation with Val’s family at 3 p.m. The service will take place at the Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home at 1730 E Grand River Ave in East Lansing, MI. A livestream is available for those who cannot attend services at https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/83847

In lieu of flowers, donations in Val’s name may be made to:

o Eventing Association of Michigan at https://www.eventingmichigan.org/donate-to-team;

o Planned Parenthood at https://www.plannedparenthood.org; or

o National Parks Foundation at https://www.nationalparks.org