George Robert Johnston, our much loved Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Uncle and Brother passed from this life on the afternoon of January 7, 2023 at his home in Danville, California after a long battle with Dementia. He is missed by his family and friends.

    George is survived by his wife Suzanne Swindle Johnston, Sisters Imra Jean and Carol Pack

Children Robert Johnstone and wife Thea Selby, Jerrilyn Ankenman and husband Gregg Ankenman,  David Johnston and Wife Jennifer Doyle Johnston. Grandchildren Collette, Dan, Brose, Aidan, Beck, and Caroline

George was born on July 4, 1934 and was the son of Jennie Nielsen Cottrell Johnson and DeVar Marvale Pack in Salt Lake City, Utah. He spent his early life in the Liberty Park area of Salt Lake and graduated from South High School in 1952. During his growing up years he participated in many activities and events. He was well known by all his classmates and friendly to everyone. He was full of energy and always active and involved.  George had determined that he would be in charge of himself at a very early age, and so when he was 14 years of age he got his first job, working at Fred & Kelly’s as a dishwasher. He rode his bicycle to and from work sometimes quite late and quite dark at night. In his family at that time there were 4 boys, his mother and his grandmother.  The dad in the family was in the Army. Grandma Forsberg did a lot to help George make his way into growing up. They were together often and as a family traveled in her car to many events all over the country.

George began college at the University of Utah. He affiliated with the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. After 2 years of college, he was called to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Samoan Mission. He left for his mission in September 1954 for  2 ½ years to the  Island of Samoa. He left Salt Lake in a train to Los Angeles, and then after a several week wait got on a boat and was on his way. He did not know the language and learned by reading the Book of Mormon in Samoan out loud.. He turned out to be a very good Samoan speaker. In Samoa, George taught English to the Samoan people. They had many experiences there. Baths were in the pools around Samoa, he had an experience that stayed with him until the end of his life, when he was able to still speak Samoan.

George returned home from his mission and resumed his studies at the University of Utah. He had always had a job and now was no exception. He got a job with an Optical company, and resumed his studies at the U of U as a Biology Major. He also resumed his dating. I first saw him just before school started in the fall of 1957. The next time I saw George he was by chance sitting next to me at a football game. It didn’t take us long to make our decision. George was in the National Guard with the hopes of being able to continue to go to school instead of going into the Army. Luck was on our side. I got a job and George finished his Bachelors degree. We were married and both graduated in 1959. George had taken a class from Dr. Charles M. Woolf in Genetics at the U, and was offered a grant by Dr. Woolf to get a Ph.D. in Genetics. For the first time in many years, George could go to school and study instead of go to work. George finished his Ph.D. at Utah State, then did a Post Doc at U.C. Berkeley. We spent two years in Laramie Wyoming at the University of Wyoming, and then he was given a job at the new California State University, East Bay in Hayward, California. There he stayed until his retirement. When we moved to Cal State, we had three small children, Robert, Jerrilyn and David. George was able to be George and he shined. We outgrew our house and bought a new house on the hills above the University.  George began to landscape. He was incredible, he could figure out things he had never thought about. He learned or knew how to do everything, and soon we lived in a wonderful house with a spectacular backyard and beautiful front entry.  Then, we moved to Danville, which was a better place for the kids and bought another new house. This one also needed landscaping. George went to work. He canvassed the neighborhood, found out what was being built, who would have dirt they wanted to get rid of etc. He took a house that no one wanted because it was on the top of a cliff to a house with a nice flat front that has never moved, while other houses were having all kinds of trouble. He turned into the Master Gardener. I was so proud of what he had done.

   It turns out that my very loved husband George can think up and do almost anything. He is very smart, and can think up very innovative ideas that will do the job. He is forever curious and looking for something new and innovative to be involved with. He is witty and has a wonderful sense of humor. A trip to the Scottish Country Games one year found him very interested in Scottish Culture, which brought us trips to Scotland, Scottish Country Dancing Lessons, and big time interest in participation in Scottish Country Games, along with a few kilts.

   He is an astronomer and can figure out almost anything, and how it works. This resulted in a cabin in the mountains so we could watch the Milky Way, and all kinds of telescopes. And wonderful times with family and friends at the mountains.

Oh, and then there was his profession. George started out working with fruit flies, because they were the item of the day when he began. When he finished though, things were very different, and he did a lot of research. He worked with a doctor who had many patients who were born with genetic problems. He did DNA studies for them, and for many years, participated every summer and more at the Lab in Livermore doing research. He had Graduate Students, and at least once every year would have a musical event with his musical grad students.

   He has also been a fantastic dad. With his boys he has climbed mountains, he has run marathons more than once, and has supported everyone in his family who has wanted or needed help. He has supported his children in every way possible, and tried to help everyone in his family or among his friends do all of the things they wanted or needed to do.

For all these reasons and more, he is loved by everyone. Oh, and did I mention that he is a really nice guy who writes really fun poetry like you have never heard before. As a genetics professor, he wrote poetry about dna, things his students needed, and explained complicated genetics by fun stuff they could understand and remember. George we are forever your fans. We miss you, but we have a smile on our face every time we think of you, and we look forward to being together with you. Our love to you always, dear.

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