Brian Lee Johnson

Brian Lee Johnson, 68, of Summersville WV, passed away on Thursday May 28, 2026.  He was born on October 27, 1958 in Ishpeming, Michigan, to Randolph & Marilyn (Urich) Johnson.  Brian’s life was a testament to his personal motto of “Refuse to Lose”, continuously learning, dreaming and living life to the fullest.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Randolf & Marilyn (Urich) Johnson.  

He is survived by his 3 children, Kristy L Johnson of Rochester, Minnesota, Colten L Johnson of Blaine, Washington, and Kelly M (Matthew) Salgado of Portland, Oregon, as well as their mother & his former wife Michelle Loritz Johnson, his sister Bryn (Jim) Zalud, and his loving partner Kim Shrewsberry.  

Brian was a born and bred “Yooper”.  He grew up in Ishpeming, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan along the coastline of Lake Superior.  His youth was spent hunting, skiing, and finding ways to be surrounded by water.  The family tradition of hunting was passed to him early in his childhood.  He would continue to hunt for the next 50 years, feeling it connected him to his dad & family.  He found peace in the silence of the woods and created some of his fondest memories with his children as he passed down the tradition.    

Some of Brian’s strongest formative memories that he loved to share were of skiing. The snow sport was a passion of his that began in the very early years of his childhood – where he spent nearly every single winter day after school at the Al Quaal Recreation Area Ski Hill behind his house, originally using wooden skis made by his grandfather. Some of Brian’s fondest memories with his children were the many many nights he drove them to Winterplace Ski Resort over an hour away in West Virginia, just for them to be able to night-ski after school a couple hours until exhaustion, grab a cookie & a chocolate YooHoo, & drive home while they slept in the back of the car.  He was dedicated to sharing his passion & creating opportunities to ski, which instilled in them the same love for the snow.  This enthusiasm for skiing continued throughout his entire life.  He never missed a ski season.  Just this past March he traveled to Mt Hood, Oregon to ski with his kids, where he shred the mountain with fervor & skill, outperforming skiers a third his age.  

Brian loved growth from humble beginnings & an “underdog” story, likely because he always saw himself as the Underdog. He always strove to embody the principle of staying grounded in humble beginnings, while reaching for a full & successful life. 

His definition of success was founded in his motto of “Refuse to Lose” (one of his many “Dad-isms” which he coined as life-lessons for his children).  Regardless of how many times he failed at something, or didn’t reach the goal he set, he always had his heart & mind set on the future & the possibilities.  There was always a Dream, no matter how fantastical or outrageous.  

Brian attended college at Michigan Tech University, where he dual-majored in Mining & Mechanical Engineering until his last 12 credits, graduating with a Bachelors of Science degree in Mining Engineering.  Though, anyone who knew Brian knew that he was a life-long learner.  His career spanned many layers of expertise and professions.

After university, Brian was one of a handful of engineering graduates that year across the country hired immediately by Shell and went to work for Shell Mining.  Brian lived an exciting early career moving to every corner of the US, seeing everything the world had to offer. These experiences imprinted on him the importance of travel & getting outside one’s comfort zone, which he spoke on & embodied the rest of his life.  

During this early time in his career, he would start a family.  In 1981 he got married and moved to Houston Texas, in a 1969 GTO Judge, with no air conditioning in the middle of summer. In 1983 he moved to Wyoming where he had his first child, Kristy.  In 1988 he moved to Kentucky where he had his second child, Colten.  In 1991 he moved to West Virginia where he had his third child, Kelly, and finally set down roots.  Brian raised and encouraged his kids to pursue their wildest & craziest ideas and dreams. Following his example – his children moved to every corner of the US, including Montana, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Oregon, California, and Washington, as well as arctic Norway. He always said that his greatest success and joy in life were his three children. 

By trade Brian was a Professional Engineer, however his career and skills were as varied and far-reaching as his life’s journey.  He gained expertise in multiple fields such as land development, hospitality, investment strategy, and entrepreneurship, oftentimes taking risks others told him were too great, but confident in his ability to succeed anyway… Eventually.  A mark of his “Refuse to Lose” mantra.  He could learn to do anything.  Though – he would often say his greatest career skillset was his ability & interest in Building Relationships.  He was a people-person; he could make his colleagues laugh, while also holding a reputation of being trusted to get any job done, and to do it well.  All while holding gratitude for the people & helpers around him, with genuine “thank you”s always spoken at the end of his conversations and emails.  

While Brian’s career was an important aspect of his life – it was really just a means to experience new things & make new memories.  He worked so he could play.  He was always planning the next vacation, usually centered around a ski mountain or a body of water & a boat.  His true love & driving force when it came to travel was making it to a small off-grid island in the Abaco Islands every few years where he could drive a boat right up to a remote, empty beach and fully exhale.  He always said the one place he had no worries or stress was in this little slice of paradise he called home away from home. We like to think that Brian is now in his version of Paradise, walking the beach with his toes in the sand, feeling a breeze in his hair, and once again finding peace in the silence and surf.  

To know Brian was to know a man who was driven, kind, and selfless.  He actively sought out new challenges for himself.  He also cared deeply about helping those around him, often stating his goal of giving others a greater “launching pad” than he had, to help them soar higher than they would alone. 

He loved sharing advice from his many experiences, so others wouldn’t “make the mistakes I made”.  He had many words of wisdom… but boiled it down to 3 key statements. 

To his children, he wrote & framed these 3 statements, titled Dad’s Requests:

“Live the best life you know how.

Be a good person.

Be there for your siblings.”

We will strive to live by his words. As he often said, 

 “You only get one life. You don’t get a do-over.” 

…

Plans, Condolences & Donation Information:

Brian was fascinated by the possibilities of medical science, even so much as volunteering to be part of clinical studies in his joint replacement procedures.  He even joked that one day, “I could be the bionic man!  I could be studied!” In alignment with these wishes & in his ceaseless pursuit to help others, Brian’s last act of giving was as a tissue donor to CORE, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, to help save lives through donation & medical research.   

In alignment with his wishes – a small, private Celebration of Life will occur at a future date.  Condolences to his family may be sent by mail to Colten Johnson or The Johnson Family at PO Box 294, Clackamas, OR 97015.

In lieu of sending flowers, please consider making a donation in Brian’s memory to the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society, an organization dedicated to the support of the people of Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas & to the restoration of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse. The island of Elbow Cay was Brian’s favorite place in the world, his “home away from home”, and it suffered tremendous devastation in 2019 by Hurricane Dorian.  The island is still rebuilding & in need.  He found fulfillment in seeing its restoration progress these last several years.  Donations can be made online via - https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/PERC/Donation.

White-Anderson Funeral Home and Cremation Center is in charge of the local arrangements.

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