Thomas Johnson

January 9, 2026

Thomas Edward Stirling Johnson

May 1963 – January  9, 2026

Tom Johnson had a way of making people feel seen. As a friend said, one of Tom’s many gifts was that he noticed and celebrated the little things about the people in his life.

He was a force. A man strong enough to take on any challenge, but soft enough that, like Ferdinand the Bull (his favourite children’s story), he’d rather sit and enjoy the flowers than fight.

He loved the outdoors. As a master gardener, dahlias, begonias, petunias, fuchsias, delphiniums and geraniums were all close to his heart, along with cabbages, cauliflowers and beans. As a forester, Tom was often in the bush. He loved the ecosystems in which he spent his career, identifying plants by their Latin and common names even on casual strolls.

Surfing the wave on a white-water canoe trip, walking the knife-edge ridge in the high alpine, skiing the backcountry in knee-deep powder, skating on a frozen lake, blasting past his 20-something son on a bicycle trail, these were also essential Tom activities.  

Tom also enjoyed the arts, visiting art galleries at home or on his travels, photographing the architecture on city streets, and listening to live music from folk, to opera, to avant-garde jazz. He made art too: a giant paper mâché mushroom, paper lanterns, paintings, and fancy costumes.

Tom was born in Powell River, but his family soon moved to Prince Rupert and stayed for Tom’s early school years. In 1973, the Johnsons settled in North Vancouver where Tom went to Handsworth Secondary School and played the tuba in the North Vancouver Youth Band.

In 1976, his family started building a log house at Teanook Lake outside of Victoria. Weekends and summer holidays for the next five years were spent cutting, peeling, winching and fitting logs with campfire cook outs, swimming and good times with friends and family included.

In 1981/82 Tom attended University in Victoria so he could finally live in the log house. He rowed while there, and at the University of British Columbia. He later finished his degree in forestry at the University of Oregon State at Corvallis. During these years he made many close friends, relationships that he continued to maintain.

In 1985, he cycled through Europe visiting Holland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, and Scandinavia. The forest industry almost lost him to the world of ceramics after a year apprenticing with a family friend, John Borrowman in Canmore, where he learned to make production pieces, and create finer sculptural works in clay.

Tom also planted trees in summers and told many stories of his adventures during these times. He later worked as a forester all over BC. In the early 1990s, he bought a house in Smithers and then moved to Nelson where his son Robin was born. He later returned to Smithers where he met his partner, Heather Ramsay.

They moved to Haida Gwaii in 2004 when Tom took a job with BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and they spent 10 years enjoying new friends, beaches, forests, fresh seafood, as well as renovating a house in Daajing Giids (formerly Queen Charlotte City).

Tom liked to do different jobs himself and was good at anything he set his mind to, such as carpentry, roofing, tiling, painting and small plumbing projects.

In 2014, Tom took another BCTS job in Chilliwack and he and Heather bought a house in the hills up above the floodplain. A new era of exploration began with renewed enthusiasm for white water canoeing and trips to Alberta, Vancouver Island and beyond.

Throughout his career, Tom was a great role model and mentor to any young forestry workers that he hired, sharing his insights and experiences freely. He was also a great reader and he and Heather’s discussions inspired her debut novel about a young forest worker on Haida Gwaii.

Tom’s love language was cooking and hosting dinners for friends and family. As usual he took it to the next level and not only learned gourmet techniques, like making demi-glace, but even raised the pigs and chickens that he served himself. His Christmas cake parcels were welcomed by many, as were gifts of marmalade, jams, relishes and sauerkraut. He was always ready for an ode to the haggis on Robbie Burns Day. Friends will also remember that he invented his own beloved cocktail, the Tomtini. According to Robin, Tom’s meals may have produced the maximum amount of dishes, but they were always worth it.

When Robin passed his physiotherapy exam in November 2025 and became a registered physical therapist, Tom was so proud.

Tom lived life to the fullest until the very end, enjoying three solid years after he was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Many will remember that he already survived lymphoma thanks to a bone marrow transplant in 2001. This confident, lovable, storytelling father, husband, brother, nephew, colleague and friend will be missed by so many.

Tom is survived by his partner Heather Ramsay and son Robin Johnson; his sister Karen Johnson and nieces Linnea and Niva Stephenson; his Aunt Phyl (Dan) Gaskell; Uncles Bob and Ken Johnson and Aunt Claire Shaw. He was predeceased by his father, Charlie and mother, Sue Johnson.

A gathering will be held for Tom closer to summer and more details will be posted when finalized.

You are invited to leave a personal message for the family.

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