Avis de décès de Dale Johnson - Nécrologie - MesAieux.com

JOHNSON , Dale Maurice January 13, 1929 - March 2, 2009 Dad had an amazing mind. He could multiply four digit numbers in his head and he bragged about keeping the record of his large inventory in his "neck top computer". Born in Lethbridge, Alberta in 1929 Dale Johnson was the youngest of six children of Burt Johnson and Stella Camella McKibbon. He grew up on the outskirts of Lethbridge, helping his mother make ends meet by delivering laundry on his bike after school and by catching and selling pigeons to local boys. By the time he was in his teens he already had several independent ventures to his credit including selling war bonds, distributing model airplane parts and flogging combs and shoelaces to truck stops. He married Jo Johnson when they were both eighteen and established his own accounting business in Calgary. Dale and Jo had five children together and along the way moved their growing brood to Vancouver. He built another business - Dale Distributing - with exclusive distribution rights in Canada for Wurlitzer, American Shuffleboard and several manufacturers of pinball machines. In the world of coin-operated vending he was The Canadian Whiz Kid. If you ever put a coin in a machine for a gumball, a song, a pack of cigarettes or just about anything else then you did business with Dale. When Wurlitzer closed for good and video games replaced pinballs, dad opened The Games People in Gastown, the largest retail games outlet in Canada and one of the longest running businesses in Gastown. Dad was also a resident, well known to everyone in the neighbourhood and considered to be the unofficial Mayor of Gastown. He entertained his many friends in his "living room" - a favorite corner of the Pizza N Suds on Water Street, later known as Deighton's Well. Dad ran The Games People until he was seventy-seven and even after the business closed down he continued to hone his selling skills by achieving his treasured "Power Seller" status on eBay. He died peacefully after a brief illness at the age of 80. Predeceased by his wife of forty years, Jo Johnson; his two sisters, Vera and Leona and his three brothers, Bud, Swede and Dick; Dale is survived by his five children - Dariel (Joe), Terri (Peter), Cyndi, Kristine (Ken) and Brett (Kirsten); by thirteen grandchildren and by fourteen great-grandchildren. Friends are invited to celebrate Dale's life by stopping by Deighton's Well, 127 Water Street in Gastown, Vancouver for a cold one anytime after 5:00 p.m. on March 13, 2009. In lieu of flowers the family thanks you for your donation to RainCity Housing and Support Society, 191 Alexander Street, Vancouver BC, V6A 1B8.