Johnson, Gary Lee

Gary Lee Johns ON, D.D.S. Gary passed away peacefully at his home in Poulsbo, Washington at the age of 78 with his wife by his side on September 26, 2017 after a yearlong battle with bile duct cancer. Gary was born in Oxford, Nebraska on Friday, January 13, 1939. His family moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he was part of the first graduating class of Catalina High School in 1957. He participated in track, basketball and football and went on to attend the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and later attended Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas where he was a member of Psi Omega Honorary. He practiced general dentistry in Phoenix for the next 40 years. Married to his wife, Gloria, for 55 years, he had four children and 10 grandchildren. He was willing to try anything, and always loved a challenge. Always clever with his hands, he was a master woodworker, gourmet cook and handyman at heart. He was the neighborhood irrigator, plumber, electrician, welder, and allround repairman for anyone who needed help. Most everything Gary knew, he taught himself, and there was nothing he couldn’t fix. In his later years he developed a passion for baking bread, often kneading a fat chunk of dough in the wee hours of the morning to surprise his friends or family in the morning with a warm loaf straight from the oven. He loved to tinker in his "shop" and craft things in abundance from scratch, such as bird houses, candles and clocks or ornamental wrought iron art. He also taught himself to do fancy needlepoint, and became skilled at the sewing machine. He was compassionate, loyal, caring, and most of all, incredibly giving. He was devoted to his family and friends, and loved them almost as much as he loved his mother’s tacos. He is survived by his loving wife, Gloria, daughters Zan Kincaid, Traci Moore (and husband Patrick), Kelly Willis (and husband Kevin), and son, Kraig Johnson. He is also survived by his sister Karen and brother Jay. A celebration of life will be held in Phoenix with a date to be set at a later time.