Always a competitive man, Ralph Edwin Johnson came to the conclusion that daughter Kimberly has had enough solo time with son Dustin and decided to join the two of them in Heaven. While Nancy, Eric, Ryan, Doug, Katie, and Brent will soon gather to say their final goodbyes, Dustin, Kim, and Ralph get to hug and enjoy their reunion. Through word and deed, Ralph made his children feel safe providing a home they could always come back to; convinced his children somehow that even when he could not quite make out the light at the end of the tunnel, everything would work out alright. No matter how he felt or what he was working through, Ralph always seemed to focus the conversation on his children. He somehow convinced the poorest student among his children that the child was super intelligent and could actually make a living using his brain. Ralph's loyalty to and caring for his wife and children stand as a living testament to his love for his family. Born February 27, 1939, in Alhambra, California, he fled the state long before it became fashionable to do so. He spent his youth in southern California, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada, where on at least one occasion his Bishop was forced to search for Ralph and the other members of the priest quorum in a local bowling alley where they had escaped between Sunday School and sacrament meeting. Later he served a full time mission in the French Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the first of what is soon to be four other Johnsons called to serve missions in French-speaking Europe) and later graduated from BYU. Ralph's seven children remain eternally grateful, yet somewhat bewildered, that despite having spent two and a half years in France as a missionary, Ralph and his former missionary companion roommate Doug Wells remained sufficiently inept at cooking for themselves as to necessitate the hiring of someone to cook for them. That cook, Nancy Kay Love, became the love of his life! Together the two of them, Naughty Nancy and Rotten Ralph (pet names they lovingly bestowed on each other) raised seven children. They settled on the perfect L-shaped street where as the middle of five homes with new and growing families the Johnsons along with the Holdaways, Heaps, Lewises, and MacArthurs collectively raised 30 children. Ralph and his family love these neighbors and continue to be amazed by the providence that led these five families to settle in these five consecutive homes. Ralph never founded a dot com company nor accepted a golden parachute after a stint as a CEO for a publicly traded company. Any designs on political power were either imaginary or masterfully hidden from public view. He never won a grammy, oscar, tony nor emmy and his biggest sport's accomplishment (at least in the eyes of one of his sons) was as the coaching mastermind behind the improbable run of the 1983 Orem A's little league organization to the 10-12 year old Utah State baseball championship. Despite the burden of running a championship little league team, Ralph also found time to hunt and fish with his kids and friends. He and Nancy also love taking long drives in their cars. His children remember a particular roadtrip where in a parental stroke of genius only feasible before the 1990's, Ralph and Nancy announced that we would be borrowing our uncle's pickup with a shell on it and driving to Oregon. The bed of the truck, lined with blankets and foam pads would be the perfect place for the kids. Ralph and Nancy separated from the shell area by two windows would be in constant contact with the kids via walkie talkies. Ralph and Nancy repeatedly assured their children during stops to fill the truck with gas that their walkie talkie was on and available; while their gleaming eyes suggested a different reality. In his spare time, Ralph managed the Creamery stores at BYU. Aside from making ice cream, his young children believed that his job entailed making ice cream, playing BYU intramural softball, baking methylene blue into cookies, and either being thrown or throwing someone else into a big vat of water. More important to Ralph than the work were the friends and relationships that he developed there. While no statue has yet to be built in his memory; the lives of his family and friends are living memorials of his life and influence. Ralph's quiet and steady love for his wife and children guided them through triumph and tragedy both small and large. He endured both the sudden and premature tragic death of his oldest daughter Kim and the slow but steady march of declining health of his youngest son Dustin. Ralph's reaction to both stand as shining examples to his children of both the power and meaning of faith in the enduring gospel of Jesus Christ. Ralph was deeply deeply loved by Nancy Johnson, his wife of over 55 years; his children, Eric (Patricia), Ryan (Crystal), Kim, Doug (Cris), Katie (Kirk), Brent (Donna), and Dustin; and 17 grandchildren and one (soon to be two) great grandchildren. Ralph's family and friends will gather at 11 am on Monday, January 10, 2022, at the Orem Sharon Stake Center on 545 South 800 East, Orem, Utah, 84097. A viewing will be held on Sunday, January 9, 2022, between 6 and 8 pm and again on Monday, between 9:30 am and 10:30 am.