Al Johnson

Allen R “Al” Johnson was born on March 27, 1943, in Seattle, Washington; and passed away September 3, 2025, in Vancouver, Washington. As a child, he attended Daniel Bagley, Woodrow Wilson, and Lincoln High Schools; and Everett Community College. He loved camping with his parents, and with the boy scouts. In the scout troop, he played Taps and Reveille on the trumpet. He loved to ride his bike, and learned to swim in Green Lake, challenging himself to swim to the closest dock, then to the furthest. As a teenager, like most kids, he loved to drive. He worked nights at Beth’s Café in the Greenwood area of Seattle, peeling potatoes, washing dishes, etc. While working there from midnight to 9:30 a.m., he learned a lot about people of all kinds.

In January of 1966, he was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps by a flip of a coin; and served in Vietnam as a rifleman. He was honorably discharged as a Corporal, and transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve in January of 1968. During his service, he was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device.

After the service, he married, and had his son, Brent Johnson. That marriage dissolved, and, in 1975, he married his wife of 50 years, Sylvia Johnson. Together they raised Sylvia’s two children, Jan and Jim Kelly; and had visitations with Brent whenever possible.

Al had worked as a traveling salesman, representing a number of different companies, covering five states, mostly by car. That life became pretty grueling, and in September of 1979, the family moved to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, where they bought, and renovated, a vacant, abandoned, mom-and-pop motel which stood between the railroad tracks and the ocean. As a result, they appropriately named it the Ocean Locomotion Motel. To revamp the old motel, Al acquired his Contractors License, and served as a local handyman and kitchen and bath remodeler while Sylvia worked at a local restaurant to help pay the bills.

In his “spare” time, which wasn’t much, as he juggled renovating the motel and doing remodeling jobs in the community, he joined the Rockaway Beach Volunteer Fire Department for a number of years, during which time he served three years as Volunteer Chief.

For almost 39 years, Al was devoted to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, which changed his life. He was a mentor to many as they worked to better their lives through sobriety.

After selling the motel in 2004, and retiring from contracting, Al became involved with TAPA, the Tillamook Association for Performing Arts. He helped with set construction, then took a small part in the production of “Oklahoma,” and he was hooked. He LOVED live theater, and enjoyed being a part of many productions. His favorite being, “Sex, Please, We’re Sixty”, and the final one, finished earlier this year, “Over the River and Through the Woods.”

Al and Sylvia loved RV travel, their family, and their kitties. A favorite pastime was dancing, especially to Good old Rock and Roll. Al was a member of the Eagles and Elks Clubs in Tillamook. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Johnson of Tillamook, Oregon; son, Brent (Cara) Johnson of Pleasant Grove, Utah; stepdaughter, Jan Kelly of Poulsbo, Washington; stepson, Jim (Dao) Kelly of Rockwell, Texas; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A celebration of Al’s life will be held at a later date. Inurnment will be in Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Vietnam War Heroes at vvmf.org/donation, or to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Campaign in Oregon.