Dr. Paul Howard Johnson

Dr. Paul Howard Johnson (78), born June 1, 1934 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, passed away Tuesday, September 18th, 2012 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Paul was the first of three children born to Howard Elroy Johnson and Marjorie Rozella Sherner Johnson. Paul was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and lived throughout the Northwest. He was a long-time resident of McIntosh, New Mexico. As a youth, Paul helped his dad capture and break mustang horses from a wild herd, hunted deer, and explored the canyons of Idaho. Beginning as early as age 12, he worked with his father developing old mines like the 4th of July mine near the ghost town of Custer, Idaho. It was activities like this that made rocks and mining Paul's life-long love. He graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering, then in 1961 went on to earn a Doctorate Degree (PhD) in this field. He went on to work with his father developing mines and mining technology, especially to extract gold, silver, and copper. He consulted to several mines in the US and South America where they employed his technologies. He held many patents for mining technologies and other inventions. One of his mining patents was sold to Bechtel Corporation and is still in use across the world today. Paul never stopped researching new and better mining methods to help the industry that he loved. In later years, Paul sold and developed real estate in the Estancia Valley. In 1961, he married Patricia Anne Rasmussen in the Salt Lake City temple. To this union was born two daughters, Jennifer Anne and Jill Elaine. Paul and Patricia were divorced in 1968. In 1971, he met and married Kaye Dawn Smith. They were divorced in 1985. During those years, he loved and helped to raise her two children, Katherine Fowler and Teresa Forbes. He met and courted Shannon Dee Harden Palmer and they were married September 11, 2004. Paul once again became a happy father to Shannon’s three children: Sandra Leigh Palmer Anderson, Vinsun Anthony Palmer and Victor Alexander Palmer. Paul was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Karen Pace. He is survived by his sister, Colleen Blankenship; his three wives: Patricia, Kay and Shannon; his daughters: Jennifer Leon-Guerrero, and Jill Landerholm; his step children: Katherine Fowler, Theresa Forbes, Sandra Palmer Anderson, Vinsun Anthony Palmer and Victor Alexander Palmer; eight grandchildren; and surviving aunt: Genevieve R. Sherner (Ogden, UT). Funeral services for Paul were held in Estancia Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just five miles north of the city of Estancia on Highway 41 – at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, September 22, 2012. The body has been flown to Idaho where it was taken to the Lincoln Cemetery near Idaho Falls, Idaho and interred next to his parents.