Clifford (Cliff) George Johnson

Clifford George Johnson (Cliff), beloved husband, father, step-father, grandpa, brother, uncle and friend to many, peacefully passed away on January 24, 2024. Cliff was born February 10, 1930, to Raymond and Laura Johnson in Minneapolis, MN. He made their family complete joining his older brother, Raymond Johnson. Cliff grew up in Minneapolis where he attended high school and then worked as a shipping clerk until he was 21 when he was drafted into the army during the Korean conflict. He served in the Signal Corp in California, with his third year of service in a military hospital after being badly injured in a car accident. After being discharged, he returned to Minnesota where he attended the Minnesota School of Business and received training in accounting before going to work in hospitals serving as Controller and CFO. He married Janice Johnson in 1961 and they had 3 daughters. In 1966, the family moved to Littleton, Colorado because Cliff took a job at Swedish Medical Center where he worked for the remainder of his career. Cliff loved life and loved Colorado. He was an avid skier, skiing into his 70’s, and he taught his daughters to ski. He also loved camping, starting out with family camping in a pop-up in the mountains of Colorado and then moving on to a motor home. He and Jan traveled in the motor home from coast to coast over the years visiting family, friends and many beautiful spots in the US. They also loved traveling abroad and visited Australia and Europe, most notably both Norway and Sweden where they visited relatives and made lifelong connections. Jan passed away in 2002 from cancer. Cliff married Carol Kalstrom in 2003 and they continued his love of travel with China, Russia and Greece being a few favorite places. Cliff and Carol made their home in Littleton but escaped during winters to Mesa, AZ. They loved life together and particularly enjoyed spending time with new and old friends and their large extended families. Cliff loved people and never met a stranger. He made friends everywhere he went. He loved to serve and was active in the Littleton Rotary Club and the Littleton Sister City club which does exchange visits with Bega, Australia every 5 years. He also served on the Council of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for many years and chaired the Memorials Committee at the church. He was treasurer of many of these organizations and loved to use his talent with finances to help organizations. If you met Cliff, you would remember his strong handshake, his contagious smile and his deep laugh that could be heard across the room. His positive outlook and cheerful demeanor impacted everyone around him and he made you feel comfortable just being in his presence. Cliff is survived by his wife, Carol Johnson. Children Valerie (Becky Lippincott) Allan, Karla (Mark) Tatum, and Erica (Kari Van Horn) Johnson. Grandchildren Mikel (Emily) Allan, Nadji Allan, Ramsey (Jenny) Allan, Jinan Allan, Kelsey (Mike) Wesley and Katelyn Hudspeth. Great grandchildren AJ Allan and Martine Allan. Children through marriage Debra (Greg) Bitz, Cindy (Tom) Carter, Todd (Pam) Kalstrom, Louise (Jose) Mendez and many beloved step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 6322 S Lakeview St, Littleton CO on February 4, 2024 at 2 p.m., followed by a reception. Livestream will be available. A Family and Friends celebration for dinner and drinks will follow the reception at a nearby venue. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be directed to the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Columbarium Fund (holytrinity-lutheran.com) or High Line Canal Conservancy (highlinecanal.org/donate). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsp7wNpcQMM