Lee Mitchell Johnson

CDR Lee M. Johnson, U.S. Navy retired, passed away suddenly on March 21, 2022.
Lee, born on January 5, 1963 in Nebraska and raised in Lakeville Minnesota, graduated from
the University of Montana (Go Griz!) before entering the Navy in 1987 as an officer. His service
took him and his family to both coasts and Hawaii over the next 25 years. He had the privilege
of flying in A-6s, F-14s and F-18s. To the A-6 community he was known as 'Bart' and to the F-14
and F-18 communities he was known as 'Navin'. He retired in 2012 after two tours in
Ridgecrest as XO of VX-31 and NAWS. He was working for NAWS as a civilian as the N5 at the
time of his death.

He met his wife Carol while attending college and was later married in Pensacola Florida in
1989. In 1997, their first son, Jeremiah, was born in Portsmouth Virginia and then in 1999,
Caleb was born in Virginia Beach Virginia. They have been the center of his life ever since.
Anyone who knew him knew he was a Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Twins and Vikings
fan with hockey being his first love. Lee played hockey from the time he could walk through his
college years and beyond. Later, the Johnsons enjoyed baseball as a family as the boys played
all the way through their college careers. Lee volunteered as an IWV baseball board member
and served as an assistant coach for the Burroughs High School Baseball team. Most recently
he volunteered at the Cerro Coso Community College. If you have listened to their recent
games, you heard him as the melodious and enthusiastic Coyotes announcer.

Besides his own family he truly cherished his baseball and Navy families.
Lee's dad, Richard, passed away in 2016. His mom (Orpah), his wife Carol and two kids
Jeremiah and Caleb along with his sister Sarah and her family Jim, Jaymes, and Michelle
(Garrett, Brynn, and Kayden Bothun) Berg and his brother Jay and his family Lori and Cole
Johnson would like to thank everyone for their kind words and prayers, the great stories (we
haven't laughed and cried so hard), the outpouring of offers to help, the fantastic food, and all
the hugs. Lee will definitely be missed.
In lieu of flowers, Lee would prefer donations to World Vision or the Red Cross.