Daniel Edward Johnson, age 90, died peacefully surrounded by his family, on January 8, 2025 in Port Huron, Michigan.
Dan was born on June 17, 1934 in Battle Creek, Michigan to Charles “Edward” and Mary “Louise” Johnson. He grew up on a farm in Lansing, where he, his two older sisters and his younger brother helped to keep the farm operational while his dad often traveled for work. Dan went to Sexton High School on the west side of Lansing from 1948-52 where he played every sport available including football, basketball, baseball and wrestling. He also played trombone in the traveling boys marching band.
After high school, Dan attended Michigan State College (now MSU) but after two years, he joined the US Army. He was first assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, where he helped to survey runways for the Air Force.There he earned the top marksman award and was placed on the company’s rifle team. The reward for top marksman was a ride in an airplane, which kicked off his love for airplanes.
Dan returned to MSU after two years in the Army, knowing that he wanted to study civil engineering and land surveying. It was also during this time that he got his private pilot’s license. He met his future wife, Sylvia Jean Bates, and they married in 1958. After living in several states, they settled down in Marysville, Michigan in 1963 where he was the city engineer. They raised three girls there.
Later he worked with the St Clair County Public Works Department, and in 1973, he joined 2 other engineers in the area to form Boldt, McLeod and Johnson Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors (now BMJ Engineers and Surveyors, Inc.) of Port Huron. He also started taking aerial photos out the window of a light airplane to help with his surveying. He loved to fly the small Cessna and Piper Cub.
Dan retired early and moved to Florida so he could work with Engineering Ministries International (EMI). He did site surveys and engineering in different places around the world. A few of his favorite projects were preparing an airport runway on Lagonav Island, Haiti; designing a Tilapia fish farm to get protein to protein-deficient children in Anse-a-Galet, Haiti; and surveying a new translation center for Wycliffe Bible Translation in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2020, Dan returned to Port Huron to live with his oldest daughter, Martha. He made friends and served wherever he could, including at The Cornerstone Church in Clyde Township.
He is survived by his first wife and mother of his children, Sylvia Johnson of Port Huron; their children, Martha (Thomas) Drake, Marilyn (Richard) Perhai, and Marilee (Brian) Osterink; ten grandchildren, Jason, Nathan, Jonathan, Caleb, Brian, Rebecca, David, Kevin, Corrie, and Christy; 16 great-grandchildren; and sister, Virginia (Stanley) Moran.
He was preceded to heaven by his oldest sister, Joan Kasten and younger brother, Charles “Larry” Johnson; and wives, Elsie Johnson, Irene Johnson, and Ruth Johnson.
Visitation will be from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, January 12, 2025 in Pollock-Randall Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 13, 2025 at the Cornerstone Church in Clyde Township. Military honors will be conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Army and the St. Clair County Allied Veterans Honor Guard.
Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Port Huron.
Memorial contributions may be made to Engineering Ministries International, The Cornerstone Church of Clyde or Send International.
Pops, as his daughters affectionately called him, loved God and life and enjoyed serving people in whatever way he could.
