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Dr. Stevens Johnson
DR. STEVENS F. JOHNSON
Mechanicsville
Dr. Stevens Forest Johnson, 62, of Bemidji, Minn., died unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Bemidji,
Minn. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church under the direction of the Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji.
Steve was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of Forest and JeanneAnn (Ward) Johnson. He was raised and educated in Mechanicsville. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1975, with a double major in physics and mathematics. He continued his studies at the University of Iowa, where he earned his M.S. in 1979 and Ph.D. in 1981, both in electrical engineering. Later he attended the University of North Dakota School of Law, as well as Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H., in the summer of 1993, and graduated in 1995, with an emphasis in patent law and intellectual property law.
He met Tracy Louise Hardy in the summer of 1977 at the University of Iowa, and they were married in early 1978. They had two daughters, Gwyneth and Cara.
Steve spent a semester teaching high school physics and math in Lisbon after completing his undergraduate degree. In the summer of 1980, he was a graduate assistant in the theoretical division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M. From 1982 to 1985, he worked in the electronic and information sector lab of Central Research at 3M, St. Paul, Minn. In 1985, he became a professor of physics/science at Bemidji State University, teaching physics, engineering, astronomy and applied mathematics. He retired in 2011.
Post retirement, Steve enjoyed many activities, including his love of classical music, bicycling, camping, hiking, trees and tattoos. The Internet was a blessing for him as he was able to continue his debates and discussions about "life, the universe and everything" with folks from all walks of life.
He is survived by his wife; his two daughters, Gwyneth Tracy of St. Louis Park, Minn., and Cara Johnson of Owatonna, Minn.; grandson, Oscar Sawyer; his father; two sisters, Lorie Johnson and Julie (Brian) MacLean; an aunt, Mary (Shaw) Ward; an uncle, Robert Johnson; many cousins and nieces; and a nephew.
He was preceded in death by his mother; grandparents; and an uncle, Russell Ward.
Condolences may be left at www.ceasefuneral
home.com.
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