Jim (The Jet) Johnston (1946 – 2008)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jim Johnston.

Jim passed away peacefully with his family by his side after a short illness on June 22, 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta at the age of 62 years.

Jim was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 22, 1946.  He was the 3rd of 4 children born to William and Lily Johnston.

Jim attended school and university in Winnipeg.  He started working at the age of 15 at various jobs to support himself while attending school.  When he finished school he started a 25 year career in Accounting, which eventually brought him to the Peace Country.

In 1979, Jim met the love of his life, Pat on a blind date.  They were married in December of the same year.  It was on their honeymoon to visit friends in Fort St. John that he fell in love with the north and took a job with Smith & Danyluk Accountants.  In 1982 he took a position with Wilson & Patterson Accountants in Dawson Creek, (and except for 2 brief years living back in Winnipeg in the early 1990’s) he really enjoyed Dawson Creek and it’s people and wanted to stay here forever.

In 1988, Jim decided to change careers, and thought that his “Gift for Gab” would come in handy for selling cars.  He started this career in Grande Prairie working for Doug Marshall and then with Orion in Winnipeg.  When he was offered a job to work at Brown’s in 1992 he jumped at the chance and never looked back.  He moved over to Timberline in 1997 and stayed until July of last year, when he took over as Business Manager for Mile 0 Sports.  He loved working with people and would go out of his way to serve his customer’s and made sure all their expectations were met.  You could also see Jim’s smiling face at the concession at the Memorial Arena, which he and Pat have ran for the last several years.

Jim and Pat were blessed with 3 beautiful children, Brooke, Ashley and Jesse.  Jim took pride in watching his children grow and loved watching whatever they were participating in.  He was always there to cheer them on, be it in school, dancing, baseball and hockey. When Brooke and Brent blessed him with 2 grandson's Bradyn in 2004 and Easton in 2006, Jim was so thrilled to finally become a Grandpa. Jim loved every minute he had with them, including dressing up as Santa for them at Christmas in Kelowna. He was looking forward to spending more time with them in the coming years as he came closer to retirement. He loved to show those boys off to anyone being the typical proud Grandpa.

Jim was a member of the Kinsmen Club in the 1980’s, had been President of the Forester’s, and was currently a director for both the Dawson Creek Junior and Senior Canucks.  He loved the sport of hockey, especially when Jesse was playing, and he was so looking forward to watching his grandson’s Bradyn and Easton play.  Jim was the announcer at the Junior Canuck home games, (which kept him from yelling at the refs or players).  Jim was also a big CFL fan and was thrilled to have held the “Grey Cup” and partied with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2006.

Jim loved the ocean and many a holiday was spent “Cruising” or laying on the beaches in the Caribbean.  These holidays were always enjoyed with friends or family along, making special memories along the way.

Jim will always be remembered for his pride of family, kindness, thoughtfulness, graciousness, his good looks and zest for life.  His sense of humor and goofy ways of doing things will always bring a smile to our face.  He will be greatly missed but his spirit and love will live on in our hearts forever.

His parents, William and Lily and his in-laws, Sherwood and Helen Howard, predeceased Jim.

He leaves to mourn his loving wife of 28 years Pat, daughters: Brooke (Brent Mooy), Ashley; son Jesse; grandsons: Bradyn and Easton Mooy; brothers: Tom (Mary), Billy; sister, Mickey; brother in-law Don Howard; numerous nieces and nephews and many close friends.  Special friends: “Lady Bird, Ringo and Dug”.

A celebration of his life was held at the South Peace United Church, Dawson Creek on Saturday, June 28, 2008, officiated by Brent Smith and Reverend Marilyn Carroll.  Eulogy by Doug Peters, tribute by Steve Goy, special music by Forrestt Shoemaker, and a loving pictorial memorial produced by Total Digital Productions.  The following is a poem written and spoken by Jim’s daughter Ashley at the service.

Jim was a man we all knew and loved
Now he’s up watching from the heaven’s above

He was caring, and charming and a friend to us all
But to three of us here; ‘Dad’ is what he was called

Dad made crazy expressions, and was so witty too
He was always so chipper he’d make you forget you were blue

I inherited his silliness, and his constant need to goof around
I can’t count how many times he stated, “Ashley, you’re acting like a damn clown”

Dad was so funny even when not trying to be
He had a way with words and gestures that always tickled me

Dad spent hours upon hours down at the hockey rink
Announcing Jr. games or working the concession – for the free snacks I think

Dad was a people person with a true gift to gab
He could talk and talk to the point you’d think you’d go mad

Dad could sell anything – like a bikini to an old Eskimo
And then try to convince them to sport it when it’s 40 below

But these are all things you know about our Dad
But there are things you might not that I thought I should add

Our Dad was a person who was loving and kind
He’d always try his best to get us out of a bind

He was proud of our triumphs but when things would go wrong
Dad would listen, be patient, be helpful and strong

Our Dad was so happy, always making us laugh
He’s the best Dad a kid could ever have

Dad was a husband, hopelessly in love with our mother
No matter how tough times got he always stood right beside her

They had been together for almost 29 years
With deep love for each other they shared laughter and tears

And now the day has come for me to say goodbye
I’ll try to be tough, be strong, hold my head up and not cry

But now I’m left wondering who will I turn to through rough times
But all the advice and wisdom he taught me will stay fresh in my mind

 I will think of his gentle and comforting hugs of embrace
And remember the soft and loving kisses he’d place on my face

And here is my chance to thank God for making him my Dad
Cause he’s the greatest gift a girl could ever have

Memorial donations may be made to “The Ryan Rowe Memorial Fund” c/o Dawson Creek Minor Hockey Association, P.O. Box 1032, Dawson Creek, BC  V1G 4H9.

Dawson Creek: (250) 782-2577    Fort St. John: (250) 785-2872
E-mail: services@bergeronfunerals.com    Fax: (250) 782-1264
Toll-Free: 1-800-577-4877
10200-17th St. Dawson Creek, British Columbia