Kenneth Dwayne Johnson

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HopeWest, 3090 B N 12th St, Grand Junction, CO 81506. Website: www.hopewestco.org.

Kenneth Dwayne Johnson was born June, 1936, in Watts, Oklahoma to Harold and Mable Johnson. He passed away on October 25, 2020 at St Mary’s Hospital after a brief illness.

Kenneth lived a full life and was a wonderful son, husband, dad, grandfather, and friend. He spent most of his life in Delta, Colorado and was an honest, honorable man with a great work ethic. He graduated from Delta High School in 1954, then joined the United States Army in 1955. He was assigned to the Military Police and served in Korea and at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. He returned to his family home after an honorable discharge.

He then met the first love of his life, Catherine Dubs. They were married in November, 1958. Kenneth and Catherine had four children (Diane, Deborah, Jeff, and Donna). They raised their children on the family farm that he, his dad, and brother (Wendell, deceased) owned. The Johnsons were well respected in the farming industry in Delta and won national awards. Kenneth was also involved with the Colorado Farm Bureau and Delta Potato Growers Co-Op. Unfortunately, in January, 1983, Kenneth lost Catherine after a long battle with cancer during which he was with her throughout.

Kenneth was fortunate to find a second love, Barbara Austin, who brought to the family four more children (Butch, Susan, David, and DeDe). Kenneth and Barbara were married in May, 1983. After selling their portion of the family farm, they spent time traveling and antiquing, mostly in their RV with other friends. After moving to Grand Junction, they built the home of their dreams and loved having friends and family visit. Sadly, “Barb” was also diagnosed with cancer and passed away in January, 2019, with her “Kenny” by her side.

Kenneth stayed active in retirement. He was a volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospital and HopeWest. He was also a member of the Western Slope ATV Association. In addition, he enjoyed many meals with friends who enriched his life.

Kenneth’s survivors include his eight children: Butch Austin, Susan Marquis, David Austin, Diane Caselman, DeDe Hill (Clyde), Deborah Johnson, Jeff Johnson (Debbie) and Donna Pinto (Peter); eight grandchildren: Justin Caselman, Jenifer Flowers (Jesse), Caswell Austin, Ryan Akkerman, Trevor Akkerman (Megan), Danielle Graham, Alexis Busch, and Mia Pinto; and four great grandchildren: Tristan Akkerman, Raina Akkerman, Lily Akkerman, and Atticus Ebbrecht.

Due to COVID restrictions, Kenneth’s Celebration of Life will be held in 2021 on what would have been his 85th birthday. Details will be forthcoming in late May.

Since both Kenneth and Barbara were strong advocates for HopeWest, donations in lieu of flowers can be made to them.