Dwight Johnson
- February 14, 2024
July 26, 1944
San Rafael, CA
Dwight Jay Johnson was born to Ralph Wesley Johnson of Hutchinson, Kansas, and Josephine Avanelle Harrell Johnson of Smithville, Texas. He lived his whole life in San Rafael, California, assigned the same phone number from kindergarten until two months before his sudden death at 80. The second youngest of six children, he grew up in a house full of music. His mother wrote songs, one sister (Joanelle) spent Saturdays in San Francisco singing country music on television, another (Patricia) directed her church choir, and another (Sharon) became a professional violinist. One brother (Terry) played trumpet, while the other (Ross), joined a world-championship barbershop chorus. Dwight’s musical path involved singing hymns in church and Johnny Cash songs at home, accompanying himself on the guitar.
By the time he attended San Rafael High School, Dwight was already working hard in the family catering business, Ralph’s Lunchette, flipping burgers, making change, and restocking soda pop and donuts. After high school, he became a partner, driving his own catering truck to construction sites and car races. Once he drove all the way to Pt. Reyes to feed the crowd gathered for Lady Bird Johnson’s dedication of the national seashore. Later he became a bailiff at the Marin County Civic Center. Like his father, he eventually started his own business, recycling metal, and back-breaking though it was to rip machinery apart and load it onto his truck, this work gave him the most satisfaction. He loved discovering copper wire that could be reused, and long before saving the earth became a movement, Dwight found creative ways to give new life to old metal, preventing it from choking acres of landfill. Along his recycling route in San Rafael he made scores of friends and gained an enviable command of Marin County history. His good humor and encyclopedic memory of movie stars that came and went at China Beach and beyond gave his customers something to look forward to.
Along the way Dwight was always there for family, driving his mother to cancer treatments, visiting his oldest sister when she too struggled with cancer, and suspending activities to move in with his father for the last six months of his life. This generosity was not confined to family, as decades of friends can attest to.
When in his late 70’s Parkinson’s and diabetes forced him to give up loading, unloading, and driving his treasured truck, Dwight mentored others to take over that work. He is survived by his best friend, Martha “Scarlet” Rauber of San Rafael; his siblings Joanelle Phillips of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Ross Johnson of Arlington, Virginia; and Sharon Schuman of Eugene, Oregon; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. A celebration of life will take place at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, March 30, at the Novato Seventh Day Adventist Church, 495 San Marin Drive, Novato, California. Contributions can be made in Dwight’s memory to Jewish Family Services of San Rafael, or the Novato Seventh Day Adventist Church.