Bruce Kent Johnson

Bruce Johnson, Age 79, of Centennial, Colorado, passed away on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at Denver Hospice after a valiant fight with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, an acute myeloid leukemia of the bone marrow.

Bruce was born on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) in Hershey, Nebraska, son of B. Kenneth and Alice (Westphal) Johnson.  Bruce had one older brother, Benny Johnson, who passed away at age 3.

Bruce attended Nichols Country School and Hershey Public School, graduating in 1962.  He played high school football, was a member of the track team and assistant coach for the basketball team.  He was an active 4-H member.  He attended his first Nebraska Husker football game in 1960 and was a die-hard Husker football fan all his life.  Bruce worked many jobs throughout his life, including shoe sales rep at JC Penney, Kiewit excavator on I-80 in Nebraska, TIC heavy equipment and backhoe operator in Steamboat, food sales rep for Keebler Company and Banker Nichols Food Brokerage, commercial real estate broker for Van Schaack, Coldwell Banker and Unique Properties.  Bruce attended CSU in Fort Collins.  He volunteered for the draft in 1967 and became an ER Medic in the Army and was stationed in Okinawa for 18 months during the Vietnam War, making Specialist 5 prior to honorable discharge in 1969.  A good friend (George Feeney) and Bruce backpacked across Europe for three months in 1971, after which he moved to Steamboat and subsequently to Denver in 1974.  During Bruce’s career as a commercial real estate broker, he earned Top Broker and Distinguished Awards for consecutive years.  He retired from real estate in 2011.  Bruce married the love of his life, Barbara (Foth) Johnson, on August 16, 1980, in Denver, Colorado, and had a son, Christopher Johnson, in 1984.  Bruce joined Rotary in 1985, which became a huge part of his life for service, giving back to community and fellowship.  Bruce loved his family farm in Nebraska, spending time in the mountains, specifically Granby, and being with family and friends.

Bruce is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 43 years, Barbara, his son, Christopher and daughter-in-law, Kim and four grandchildren, Easton, Sadie, Tyler, Samantha, as well as his mother-in-law, Edna Foth, brother-in-law’s, David Foth (Mary), Bill Foth (Ruth), Joe Foth (Ginny), Steve Foth (Nicky) and sister-in-law’s, Pat Kuper (Andy), and Mary Richter (Jay), first cousins Nancy Cline, Rick Johnson, Beverly Johnson, Debbie Willis and many cousins, nieces and nephews.  Bruce was preceded in death by his parents B. Kenneth and Alice Johnson, older brother Benny, uncles Herb (Madge), Paul (Lucille), Harold (Maxine), aunts Arline and Doris, first cousins Rod, Mary, Penny, second cousins Elaine and Nick, cousin-in-law’s Bill Cline and Ralph Koch, both sets of grandparents and father-in-law Francis Foth.

Rosary and visitation services will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at St. Mark Catholic Church, Highlands Ranch, Colorado 6:00 – 8:00 PM.

Funeral Mass on Friday, August 25, 2023, at St. Mark 10:00 - 11:00 AM followed by luncheon in church hall.

Burial at Fort Logan National Cemetery with full Military rights 2:00 PM.

Memorial link is suggested in lieu of flowers to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, website LLS.org.

On-line condolences to Horan and McConaty Funeral Chapel in Centennial, website HoranCares.com.