In Memoriam

• Publication year: 2023
• Pages: 60

In Memoriam Vol. 52, No. 8 [Page 60] Colorado Bar Journal October, 2023

Kevin Wendell Johnson

May 22, 1956—August 6, 2023

Kevin Wendell Johnson, loving and beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle, and friend, died on Sunday, August 6, 2023, just outside Last Chance, Colorado, as the result of a motorcycle accident. He was 67 years old.

Kevin was born May 22, 1956, in Jerome, Idaho, the third child of Mayben and Merna (Deuel) Johnson. He loved Idaho and maintained a pride and passion for his home state his whole life. He graduated from Jerome High School, where he excelled at both academics and athletics, his state track records standing for many years. When he left for college at Harvard University, it was the first time he had ever been east of Vernal, Utah. After serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas and New Mexico, Kevin earned a BA in history and government from Harvard, a master's degree in economics from the London School of Economics, and a JD from the J. Rueben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.

While still a student, Kevin married Amy Bennett in the Salt Lake Temple on August 23, 1979. They had two children, Frances Elizabeth Johnson and Wendell Bennett Johnson, and traveled with their family all over the world, living in Utah, Washington, D.C., London, Boston, and Michigan before settling in Littleton, Colorado. Kevin especially loved the five years he and his family spent living in Madrid, Spain, working for the Dow Chemical Company. He was a proud speaker of Castilian Spanish and spoke and practiced as often as he could.

Kevin built a successful law practice with Holland & Hart in Denver and most recently Parsons Behle & Latimer in Salt Lake City, becoming one of the leading mining attorneys in the country. He maintained a strong commitment to excellence for his clients and his industry. Colleagues described him as irreplaceable. He showed the same commitment and loyalty in his relationships with his friends and family-Kevin cared about people, their motivations, and their passions, and he served selflessly. He also loved food-both eating dishes from cultures around the...