Dennis Gary Johnson, 65, of Paso Robles walked peacefully into the Sunlight of the Spirit on
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 surrounded by family and friends.

SERVICE INFORMATION:

A celebration of Dennis' life will be held at the Odd fellows Hall, 710 Harbor Street, Morro Bay on September 9th, 2012 at 1 p.m. A potluck reception will immediately follow for friends and family to share their experience, strength and hope on the love and life of Dennis.

Denny was born on the family farm in Richland County, Wisconsin, the fourth of ten children in June 1947 to Gilman and Ruby Johnson. He was proud to say, "I was born in a barn."

His early years were spent milking cows and bailing hay with his brothers on their Wisconsin dairy farm. Shortly after high school he moved to Chicago for college and then to Gary, Indiana. At the age 32 he decided that the cold, harsh winters of the Midwest were for the brave at heart so he jumped into his car and headed west to California. After only being in California for about a week, he met his future wife, Linda and never looked back. They were married for 33 years. He worked at several large corporations including SG Metals, Calcomp, Shelby Wheels and Apple. He wore many hats but was most comfortable in the maintenance engineering department.

In 1991, Dennis suffered a cervical stroke which left him bound to a wheelchair but that did not limit him from being active. Shortly after, but with several attempts at sobriety he was able to overcome his addiction to alcohol and became a faithful member of Alcoholics Anonymous on January 17, 1994. For the next 18 years, his life was committed to service work and sharing his experience, strength and hope with others.

In 1993, Dennis and Linda moved to Los Osos to be close to Linda's parents. During that time they met Mary and Leigh Ann and began a friendship that turned into a family relationship. With no children of their own they "adopted" them after the tragic lose of girls' parents and subsequently became grandparents to their children. Together, they created a family that didn't need to be by blood or marriage...just kindred spirits. Dennis was a proud father and an even prouder grandpa.

In 2006, they moved to Paso Robles where Dennis continued to work with others and created new relationships with the people of the north county. He will be remembered for always ending his shares with, "I'm Dennis and I'm done." Well Poppie, you're not done, just moved on to the Big Meeting in the Sky to share with those that came before you; your experience, strength and hope. You will be forever missed but never forgotten and we all will wait patiently to see you again. We love you and thank you for your unconditional love, non-judgement ways and your ability to inspire others.

Dennis is survived by his wife Linda, adopted daughters Mary Brown of Paso Robles and Leigh Ann Duba of Torrance; brothers, Culver of Blue River, WI, Dallas(Judy) of Richland Center,
Charlie(Sandra) of Blue River, WI, Kevin(Deb) of Oconomowoc, WI, Dean(Becky) of Sauk City, WI and Carl(Judy) of Midland, GA.; sisters, Rita(William) Olson of Soldiers Grove, WI and Renee Wenger of Dodgeville, WI.; grandchildren; Ian, Hannah and Katie; 19 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Gilman and Ruby and Sister Sonja Johnson.

A memorial fund has been set up at Sesloc Federal Credit Union, Account #367530 or mail checks to SFCU P.O. Box 5360, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-5360 to help with funeral expenses.