Paul G. Johnson

Paul G Johnson was born in Houston, Texas on July 3, 1948. A lifelong Houstonian, he graduated from Reagan High School. Paul obtained both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Houston while serving in the United States Air Force.

Paul was a distinguished engineer and worked out of Houston his entire life. He completed projects all over the world in cities across the United States, Japan, Aruba, Canada and Mexico.

Paul met his wife Nancy in 1970 at a motorcycle event and married in Houston in 1972. He has two children, Brad Johnson and Haley Raffaeli; and four grandchildren, Lilly, Wes and Sam Johnson and Calvin Raffaeli.

Paul was a passionate world traveler and enjoyed traveling with the Texas art crowd attending openings of friends and family. One of the most significant trips, Paul travelled to Peru in 1982 with his wife Nancy, her brother Richard, and their friends Gus and Sharon Kopriva where they hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. They then traveled on to Nazca where they were taken to an archeological site. On that life changing trip to Peru, the group of intrepid explorers wrote a parody of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven entitled The Condor included below. Paul would return to Peru multiple times seeing more sites around the country. Paul also spent time living in Mexico City where he was able to explore the local sites and history. His travels brought him to Europe as well, visiting Iceland, Germany, Paris, Greece, Turkey, and Macedonia. His adventures took him to all corners of the globe where he loved learning about the country’s customs and people.

Moreover, Paul was enormously active in the Houston Art Community volunteering at the Orange Show and for the Art Car Parade. Paul was a great collector of art with not an empty inch of wall space available. He enjoyed attending openings for upcoming local artists with his beloved friends and travelling for openings of his “non-starving” artist friends.

An avid surfer, Paul spent his weekends camping on the beach in the 60s and shared his love of the water with his children, teaching them to surf at young ages. He surfed the Gulf Coast, West Coast, and the north coast of Peru where he celebrated his 60th birthday.

Paul passed away Sunday night from complications after major surgery. He touched so many lives and will always be remembered for his wonderful stories and mustachioed smile.

The Condor

Once upon a Mid-June journey

While I plodded weak and dirty

O’er a path of ancient Inca lore.

While I stumbled nearly falling

Suddenly I heard a calling

A calling from the Inca door.

As I fell across the portal

I heard this sad and mournful chortle

T’was the condor on the door.

Perched upon the Bust of Bingham

I thought that surely I could wing him

But I was blinded by the dust of llamanure.

Ask I of this winged creature

Will I ever reach Machu Piccher

Quote the condor, Nevermore.