Obituary of John Henry Johnson

JOHNSON, John Henry P.Eng., P.E. died peacefully at home on Sunday, September 8, 2019. John was born in Den Hagg, Netherlands on May 29, 1946. Son of the late John Henry Johnson and the late Maria Geertruida (Thomsen) Johnson (Executive Director of the Saint John YWCA in the late 1960s). John came to Canada with his parents as post-war immigrants in the fall 1946 and grew up in Southern Ontario. He is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 50 years, Susan, daughter Anne (Glenn) Chong, daughter Judith, son Andrew, granddaughter Samatha Chong, and grandson Phillip Chong. John was predeceased by his parents and only brother Thomas Johnson. John was an engineer who enjoyed the challenge of finding a practical solution for his clients and took an engineer’s duty to protect the public seriously. He graduated from the University of Toronto, B.A.Sc. Civil Engineering (Structural Option) in 1970. Following graduation he worked for the Canadian National Railways and E.G.M. Cape Construction on the South Central Postal Facility in Toronto. Subsequently, he and Susan moved to Alberta where he worked for Stanley Associates in both Edmonton and Calgary. The family relocated to Saint John in 1979 where John served as the City of Saint John Building Inspector until 1994. He viewed his role as serving the public by achieving safer buildings and making the services of his department more accessible. From 1990 to 1994, he served on the Standing Committee on Occupancy for the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes. In 1994, John retired from the City and co-founded Johnson Engineered Solutions Limited with Susan. He provided structural and fire protection engineering as well as building code consulting services for their clients. John is perhaps best known for designing innovative solutions for his clients that were both sound and economical. The family-run company he co-founded continues to operate and recently celebrated 25 successful years of business. John was committed to life-long learning which included reading technical journals and magazines as well as attending formal courses and informal learning opportunities. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of numerous structural engineering and fire protection engineering professional organizations. John was licenced to practice engineering in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Alberta as well as in Maine and New Hampshire. John loved doing things with his children and later his grandchildren, especially playing games as he was an avid gamer. He was a loyal New York Yankees fan, enjoyed good food, good company and devouring books. As a mentor, John shared his experience both in his professional and personal life. John could not imagine a time in his life where he would retire and he didn’t. Arrangements are under the care of Castle Funeral Home, 309 Lancaster Avenue, Saint John, NB 506-634-1701. An open house celebration of John’s life will be held on Sunday, September 29th at the Saint John Marina, 2050 Westfield Rd : Open House: 1:30 to 4:30pm: Family Address at 2:30 pm followed by an “Open Mike”. The family would appreciate hearing any anecdotes, memories or interesting projects involving John that you would like to share. This can be done in the guest book below or through the Open Mike, which will be professionally recorded for the family. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in John’s memory to a charity of your choice.