Bradley Albert Johnson

Bradley Albert Johnson

Bradley Albert Johnson was born May 13, 1949, in Davis County, Utah, son of Glenn A. and Estella D. Johnson. He died of natural causes at age 73 on January 4, 2023, in LaVista, Sarpy County, Nebraska.

He was a Vietnam era U.S. Navy veteran.

Bradley married Barbara Ann Price on August 30, 1985, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bradley and Barbara Johnson lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, St. Louis, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. He was an excellent poet, writing primarily form poetry, and actively participated in the Omaha slam poetry scene — occasionally gracing open mikes with his work. He was a United States Chess Federation Class B ranked player in the 1980s whose face would light up when he recounted his victories, including one that was annotated as a “positional masterpiece.”

He was a voracious reader from his earliest years and had a large collection of books. While in Salt Lake City, Bradley was instrumental in establishing the Utah Society for Science Fiction, after helping lead the Science Fiction Discussion Group for the Salt Lake City Public Library.  He founded the group P.O.E.T.S. while there. His colleagues there considered him a guiding light.

Bradley was a quiet and peaceful person, always with a full beard and mustache that turned pure white in his later years. Many commented how he would reach out to strengthen others when they faced struggles and had a gentle and supportive words. His last social media post, written just days before he died, said we should “remember that this season of joy is often times a season of sorrow for many. Be kind, be generous, give love, give help; if nothing else, just don’t give people a hard time.”

He was preceded in death by both his parents, and his brothers Gerald (Jerry) Houghen and Glenn R. Johnson. Barbara Johnson’s early death from cancer in December 2003 broke his heart – he mourned her loss for the rest of his life; perhaps they are finally reunited. On the anniversary of her death last month, Bradley encouraged us to take family photographs because “… one day, your loved ones will search for those memories to bolster their own…”

He is survived by six cousins, four brothers- and sisters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews. No services are planned, and his remains will be cremated. In memory of Bradley, please take a moment to write a poem using his last social media posting as a prompt.