Eugene Johnson Obituary

Eugene E. "Gene" Johnson passed away Saturday, Sept. 24, of a heart attack, at the age of 86.

He was born July 13, 1925, in the Johnson Hospital, which was founded by his parents, Dr. Emil E. Johnson and Virginia N. Johnson, in the early days of Cortez. He attended school in Cortez through his freshman year in high school, but when the family moved to Santa Monica, Calif., in 1940 for Dr. Johnson's health, he finished up and graduated from Santa Monica High School. Unable to join the military during World War II due to a bad knee, he attended Santa Monica Community College and the University of Southern California, where he was active in the Theta Chi Fraternity. In 1946 he returned to his roots in Cortez and began farming beans in Yellow Jacket, but made many trips back to Santa Monica to see his family and his sweetheart, Doris Renz. They married on March 7, 1953, in Fresno and returned to Cortez to raise a family.

In 1956 the couple decided to sell the farms and start a new life in the motel business. They built the Turquoise Motel (now the Turquoise Motor Inn) on the site of the old Johnson Hospital, and developed it into a very successful operation, eventually adding the Sands Motel and Molly Gibson Restaurant (now the Rodeway Inn), and later on, the old Navajo Motel (located at the site of the Super 8 next to the Turquoise) to the portfolio. In 1976 he and Doris divorced and they sold all of their motel holdings.

During these years he was very active in the Cortez community. He was a member of the Cortez Rotary Club and served as president; he was an honorary lifetime member of the Cortez Elks, and served as exalted ruler and chairman of the board of trustees; he was a member of the Mesa Verde Museum Association, and served as president; and he served on the Montezuma-Cortez school board. He worked hard, but he played hard, too. He spent his summers working on the family house in Telluride, running cattle on his ranch west of town, and camping, hiking, and water skiing around the pristine waters of Lake Powell. He spent his autumns hunting elk in the Lone Cone and Taylor Mesa high country. And he spent his winters snow skiing in his beloved Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Not content with "semi-retirement," he purchased the old Southwest Memorial Hospital building in 1978, and converted it into an office building, now known as the Johnson Business and Professional Building on South Broadway. Also during that time his relationship with a former business acquaintance, Betty Williams, became more serious and loving.

He loved his toys and tools, and loved to share them. He was a pilot and loved to fly his Cessna all over the Southwest, especially to his houseboat at Lake Powell where he and Betty entertained many, many friends, old and new. He was a very respected businessman and entrepreneur, and took many young men under his wing. His wise, gentle, and good-humored mentorship helped ignite many of their own careers.

For the past 33 years, he and Betty have been managing the Johnson Building, enjoying their many friends, and spending their winters in their favorite get-away at Ajo, Ariz.

He is survived by his partner, Betty Williams; his children, Norman E. Johnson and his wife Wendy; Kimberly R. (McGhee) and her husband Richard; Erin J. Johnson; Stewart D. Johnson and his wife Mary; and their mother, Doris R. Johnson. He is also survived by his granddaughters, Annalaissa Johnson, Danae Gmuer-Johnson, and Raina Gmuer-Johnson; as well as nieces, Virginia Jordan, Justin Loerwald, and Heidi Silver; two grand-nieces; three great-grand nieces; and a great-grand nephew.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Norman T. Johnson; and his sister, Ingrid (Hartley).

Please join the family for a celebration of his life at the Cortez Elks Lodge on Friday, Sept. 30, beginning at 4 p.m. Donations can be made in his memory to the Mesa Verde Museum Association or the Cortez Elks Foundation.