Surrounded by his family, Donald Ralph Johnson, 89, of Coeur d’Alene, passed away Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020.
Don was born Aug. 18, 1931, in Newport, Wash., the first child of Ralph and Julia (Nagle) Johnson. Don and his brother, Ray, and their special lifelong friend, Joe Sutton, grew up playing together, swimming at Diamond Lake and riding horses. Later, Don bucked hay for local farmers and played drums in the high school band. He enjoyed going to Playfair and loved horse racing throughout his life. Don so loved the family property at Panhandle Lake. He always enjoyed cutting the firewood and trimming young pine trees.
Don headed to the University of Idaho with help from a Navy ROTC scholarship. He joined the Delta Chi fraternity and graduated with a biology degree in 1953. He was a Navy officer during the Korean War and served on the USS Menifee in the Pacific. Don met his future bride, Florence (Flo) Miner, of Spokane, one stormy night, at a dance on Diamond Lake in 1950. They dated off and on for five years. Flo wasn’t quite ready to marry when Don proposed but he said, “It’s now or never,” and they were married Oct. 29, 1955. As newlyweds, they headed to Coronado, Calif., where Don was stationed as Naval support staff.
Don left the Navy in 1957 and returned to the UI for his master’s degree. Two children, Monica and Mike, were born in Moscow before the family headed to Colorado State University at Fort Collins where Don earned a Ph.D. Son Brian joined the family then.
As his children, we remember our dad always had biology teaching moments for us when we came across birds, squirrels, field mice, snakes and a host of other animals. He often picked up small road kill for further examination later, blithely tossing them in the back of the car with the kids. He surprised our mother many times over the years as she went looking for items in the freezer only to discover a frozen small animal he had not yet taken to work. Don taught at Ft. Lewis College (Colo.) and Minot State College (N.D.) before returning again to Moscow to the UI where he taught for 27 years in biological sciences. Don was the first to study the nesting ecology of the osprey or “fish hawk” on the lakes and major rivers in North Idaho. Along with close friend and colleague, Wayne Melquist, they banded more than 4,000 ospreys during a span of nearly 50 years, adding considerably to our knowledge of this fascinating species.
Don and Flo retired to Coeur d’Alene Lake living along the water. Their favorite time in life included hanging out on the dock, heading out in the boat and enjoying their dogs. Throughout their marriage, bridge games and dancing were their favorite hobbies. Flo was forever coaxing Don onto the dance floor reminiscent of their first dance 70 years ago.
Don, who always liked to introduce himself as “the ORIGINAL Don Johnson,” often went out of his way to help others, offering support and encouragement. He was supremely humble and rarely sought the spotlight. Instead, he was thrilled for the success of others. As his children, we could not be more honored to call him Dad.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, brother Ray, son-in-law Tom MacNaughton, and infant son David. Don is survived by his wife, Flo, of Coeur d’Alene; children, Monica MacNaughton, of Coeur d’Alene, Mike (Jill) Johnson, of Newport, and Brian (Debbie) Johnson, of Moscow; along with nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial is planned for next summer in 2021. Please view the Donald R. Johnson Memorial video at https://youtu.be/YXPSI3XFMG0. In the website address, the fifth letter is the letter “I” as in Indigo and the last digit is the number Zero.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kootenai County Humane Society, 11650 N. Ramsey Road, Hayden, ID 83835, or the Knights of Columbus, 625 E. Haycraft Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815.
Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Don’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.
