Neil Harris Johnson

Neil Harris Johnson was born on March 2, 1928, and entered eternal life on May 19, 2023. Preceded in death by his beloved wife of nearly 61 years, Mary (Moriarity) Johnson, his parents Harris and Claire (Lindbergh) Johnson, and his sister Shirley (Johnson) Hanson. Survived by daughter Leslie Johnson, nephews Rick (Lory) and Larry (Kim) Hanson, sister-in-law Marge

Moriarity, and brother and sister-in-law Dan and Pat (Moriarity) Gaffaney, and many great nieces and nephews. Also survived by close family friends Bill, Billy, and Nancy Gruits.

As a young man, Neil volunteered to join the Navy during World War 2. He learned to fly, and got his wings just as the war ended. He decided to go to school on the GI bill and got his degree in mechanical engineering. He started his engineering career in Minneapolis, where he met his wife, Mary. Later, they moved to Grosse Ile when he was transferred.

Neil always loved sailing. He, Mary, and Leslie spent many happy summers sailing the Great Lakes. He also loved building things, and built several radio-controlled planes as well as a boat. He was also known among friends and family as a man who could fix anything. They agreed that if Neil couldn’t fix it, it couldn’t be fixed.

He loved photography, and was more often behind a camera than in front of it. He was the official photographer for the Grosse Ile Yacht Club for decades, and also took portraits for the Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church. He has many volumes of his beautiful photographs. Neil was a man of deep faith. He expressed his faith by using his engineering abilities to care

for the church. He could always be counted on to be there when they had a problem like a broken furnace. He led a large expansion of the church that included adding a second wing.

Even in his later years, he participated in the Property Committee and completed Sexton duties on many Sundays. He is loved and will be missed by many.

Visitation will be held from 4:30 to 8:00 pm on Friday, May 26, at Martenson Funeral Home, 3200 West Road, Trenton MI 48183. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, May 27, at 11:00 am, at Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church, 7925 Horse Mill Road, Grosse Ile, MI, 48138.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to The Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church, the Salvation Army, or the Penrickton Center for Blind Children.