Anthony Johnson

Anthony Charles “Tony” Johnson, 63, died of natural causes on June 1, 2016, at his home in Yakima, Washington. He was born Dec. 31, 1952, in Sunnyside, Washington, to R. Lyle and Ellen Johnson, the youngest of their five children. In 1953, the family moved from Grandview to Othello, Washington, where Tony started school, and in 1967, to Yakima. He graduated from Davis High School there and attended Yakima Valley College. He went on to attend Washington State University and the University of Arizona, where he earned a master’s of science in plant genetics. From a young age, he was an avid world traveler and lived overseas for many years. He was a talented agronomist, working in developing countries in Africa, Central Asia and the Caribbean, including Mali, Chad, Rwanda, Tajikistan and Haiti. In more recent years, he taught school and volunteered with Yakima’s Sunrise Outreach Center on its five-acre community garden and at an extreme-weather shelter for the homeless. With his wife, Fanta, Tony had four children, daughter Marie Keita-Johnson of Portland, Oregon, and sons Jackson Johnson, Edwin Johnson (Audrey), and Alex Johnson (Danielle), all of Yakima. He was the proud grandfather of Mya, Ava Marie, Marley and Alivia. He is also survived by brothers Robert Johnson (Susan), Richard Johnson (Margaret) and Jerry Johnson (Djeneba), and sister Gail Hanowell (Jerry), aunt Carol Johnson, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Tony was the quintessential "idea person," whose enthusiasm for various interests and endeavors was contagious. He also had a special gift for making those he encountered in life feel valued and important. Tony loved spending time with his family, and especially enjoyed playing with his grandchildren and watching them grow. While he lived according to his own inscrutable clock, rarely arriving on time to any appointment, his kindness and generosity could always be counted on. He leaped to the aid of anyone in need, without reservation and at times to his own detriment. He will be remembered for his lively mind and gentle, caring ways, especially with children, the elderly and the very poor. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Valley Hills Funeral Home, Yakima. A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held at the Yakima Area Arboretum at 6 p.m. Friday, June 24. Flowers may be sent to the Arboretum, 1401 Arboretum Dr. Memorial contributions may be made to Sunrise Outreach Center, 221 E. Martin Luther King Blvd., Yakima, Washington 98901. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Anthony Johnson, please visit our flower store.