Robert Edwin Johnson
February 23, 1933 - September 19, 2022
Robert Edwin Johnson, age 89, went to be with his Heavenly Father whom he served his
whole life, on September 19, 2022.
Born February 23, 1933, in Omak, to Joseph and Alberta Johnson, Bob moved with his family to Leavenworth where he attended grade school and helped his dad in the Leavenworth Johnson Bakery. After graduating from Salem Academy in 1952, he married his high school sweetheart, Nola Jean Zobel. On June 20, 2022, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
Bob lived in Leavenworth, Salem, Oregon, and San Jose, California. He returned to Leavenworth with his family in 1960 “to ski for one year”. What began as a year of skiing turned in to now over 60 years of investment into the community. Bob worked as a builder, contractor, manager at Stevens Pass, hotel developer and owner, and Alphorn player. Instrumental in the promotion and construction of transforming Leavenworth into the Bavarian Village, Bob will be especially remembered for his daily Alphorn concerts at the Enzian Inn and throughout town, which he performed for over thirty years.
Bob LOVED sports, both as a player and a fan. He was a basketball and football star in high school, a tennis player, jogger, fisherman, boogie boarder, water skier, and an avid downhill, and cross-country skier. In fact, when he was 80 years old, he participated and placed in the Hog Loppet, a 21-mile cross-country ski event.
He was a great man of faith and a member of the Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene, serving as Sunday School Superintendent, youth leader, church board member, and on many work and witness trips overseas.
Bob will be remembered for his wit and his generosity and his incredible love for his family. A servant of God, a great husband, a great father, a great grandfather, and an amazing great-grandfather, his life has had a significant impact on so many.
He is survived by his wife, Nola; his sister, Jan Anderson and her husband, Milt; his children: Renee Sexauer and husband Randy, Robert Johnson, and wife Nancy,Rebecca Hills and Windell Hills; also, eight grandchildren whom he adored: Eric Sexauer, Ryan Sexauer, Kimberly Johnson Woo, Robin Johnson John, Julie Johnson Soares, Skye Johnson, Laura Hills Rose, and Lindsey Hills Andrews along with eleven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Dwelling Place or Upper Valley Christian School, Leavenworth, WA.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 Saturday, October 8, 2022, at Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene. Relatives and friends are welcome to a time of refreshments after the celebration.
