Gregg M. Johnson, a man who spent his entire life in loyal service of others, passed away peacefully while surrounded by his wife and children on April 6th, 2020, after a long but valiant battle with metastatic melanoma.
Gregg was born in Salt Lake City, UT to Phyllis Reid Penman and Winslow “Pete” Johnson on September 10th, 1949. Pete passed away when Gregg was in his early teens, which greatly influenced Gregg’s strength of character and ingrained in him the importance of family. Following the loving guidance of his strong-willed and tenacious mother, Gregg developed a resilient nature. He was passionate in serving others, and learned the importance of loving, defending and cherishing his family. Gregg has always had a special bond with his siblings. They have stayed very close and best of friends throughout their lives. Gregg chose to serve the Lord honorably in completing a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints in North Carolina & Virginia. The last 12 months of his mission he served as an assistant to his Mission President, President Andersen. After the completion of his mission and following the example of his father, he enlisted in the United States Army serving his country for 6 years.
Gregg met the love of his life Kristine Monsen while attending East High School and pursued her for many years. They married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 2nd, 1973. The love Gregg and Kris share cannot easily be put into words. Anyone that has witnessed their passionate banter with one another understands. The dedication they put into building an eternal family based on principles of love, knowledge of Christ's plan, and having joy in their posterity was admirable to all those who knew them.
Gregg's parenting style was a perfect balance of love, discipline, creating unity and lifetime memories. Gregg always joked that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and his kids took that to heart. There are endless stories of his children pushing their limits with their mischievous pranks that old neighbors still talk about. One of Gregg’s biggest strengths was his ability to communicate unconditional love to his children, and total dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Gregg had an enviable work ethic and had an unmatched ingenuity in craftsmanship and handiwork.
Even when extremely sick with melanoma cancer he managed to rebuild his severely damaged home after it was hit by the tornado in 2006. His sons will forever treasure learning work ethics from their dad by working alongside him throughout his life.
Gregg utilized his talents as he humbly served in many leadership positions both professionally and in various church callings. He was on a lifelong path of self-improvement and he constantly strove to draw closer to his Savior. Gregg served as an ordinance worker in the Salt Lake Temple for nine years, regardless of how sick his cancer treatments made him, he never missed a shift. He loved to teach and served faithfully as a Bishop in the Valley View 6th Ward. He influenced and developed special relationships with the youth and was very instrumental in preparing many of them to be successful missionaries. Gregg and Kris fulfilled a life-long dream of serving together as full-time missionaries for the Church on the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. He cherished his time there and developed an unmatched love for the people they served. Gregg was a source of wisdom to all that knew him. Many turned to him in times of struggle. Gregg’s advice was always straight-forward, thought provoking, without judgment, and inspired you to see the best version of yourself.
Gregg took his role of grandfather very seriously. He has a special bond with each of his 17 grandchildren and always beams with pride at their accomplishments, big or small. Each of his grandkids know how much he loves them, and how much he loves the Gospel. Gregg made a point to create endless opportunities for his family to spend time together. Yearly trips to Colter Bay, frequent trips to St George and Lake Powell, and attendance at the innumerable grandkid sporting events were at the top of his priority list. Simply put, Gregg was the best grandfather and his grandkids will always remember the Sunday dinners, endless card games, and quiet moments with him.
There are too many facets of his Gregg’s character to give justice to the exceptional man that he was. Gregg was an avid skier in his earlier years, loved playing golf with his children and neighborhood golf buddies, loved being on his boat, and he loved the Utah Utes. Gregg was stubborn and set in his ways. He has worn the same Levi 550’s for decades, was overly vocal with his hate of onions & bananas, and insisted the universe conspired against him by never giving him any wilds in card games. Gregg was trustworthy, spiritual, and held his family in the absolute highest regards. He was generous with his time and money and never passed up an opportunity to help others
without even being asked. He never spoke guile and never complained. We can all stand to learn from his Christ-like example, his stalwart nature, and his humility in the face of trials.
Gregg is survived by his beloved wife Kristine, his children Eric (Liz), Richard (Ellen), Chas (Ashly), Josh (Chelsy), Lisa (Spencer), his 17 grandchildren, two sisters SueAnn and Charlene, and a brother Douglas. He is preceded in death by his Father Pete, his mother Phyllis, and his son David.
In light of the current pandemic, memorial services will only be held for immediate family at this time. We look forward to celebrate Gregg’s life with all this September for his 71st birthday.
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