Roll Call Tribute

McEwen Funeral Service-Derita Chapel obituary
Charlotte, NC
704-596-3291

Gregory Alan Johnson
JULY 12, 1954 – MARCH 10, 2018

Gregory A. Johnson, P.E.
Greg Johnson was born July 12, 1954 in Cincinnati, OH, the first child of Robert E. Johnson of Columbus, OH, and Joan M. Johnson of Cincinnati. He died peacefully in his sleep on March 10 after a courageous battle against the rare disease of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a progressive and incurable neurological disease. Greg was grateful for the limited time he had to prepare himself and family and remind everyone not to take life for granted but rather focus on what’s really important – family and friends, good works and one’s profession. Greg was a loving and devoted husband, father, brother, uncle and son. He is survived by his mother, Joan, of Houston, who retired as a RN; his wife Kathryn and daughter Sarah Johnson and husband Diasuke Yamagami of Yokosuka, Japan, and son Stephen of Harrisburg, NC. He is also survived by sisters Terri Shannon (Randy) of Fort Worth, Suzanne Nesmith (Doug) of Crawford, TX; Nanette Yeager (Mark) of Coppell, TX; brother Jeffery (Sonia) of Glendale, AZ; and nieces and nephews Kristin, Brenton, Matthew, Timothy, Amy, Heather, Haley, Sam and Caroline. He was predeceased in 1999 by his father, a retired petroleum engineer, and a niece Rebecca Johnson in 2009.

Greg attended Catholic grade school in Houston TX through fourth grade, then moved to Midland TX for the rest of his primary and secondary education. During junior high, he loved to play baseball and collect stamps, and excelled in spelling, math, and history. At Midland High he excelled on the debate team, in math and sciences, served on the yearbook staff, graduating in 1972.

A National Merit Scholarship finalist, he received an award sponsored by the Shell Oil Company Foundation enabling him to attend Texas A&M University. Majoring in mechanical engineering, he achieved many academic honors and while serving in the Student Senate, he spearheaded a change in how Texas A&M used energy!

Greg graduated summa cum laude in December 1976, and began his professional career at ARCO Oil and Gas in the summer of 1977. While at ARCO, he applied for graduate schools and was accepted at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. A National Science Foundation fellowship allowed him to pursue his academic interest in the area of energy systems design as part of the Herrick Labs. He wrote his Master’s thesis on the measurement of efficiency for gas water heating systems. Completing his degree requirements in 1979, he then accepted employment with YORK Air Conditioning in York, PA.

While living in York, he developed a life-long interest in residential real estate and bought his first house, a fixer-upper 1910-era row house which was divided into two apartments. York is also where he met his future wife, Kathryn, who was working at IBM in nearby Mechanicsburg. They married in April 1984 and soon after both transferred to Charlotte, NC with their respective companies. They settled in the nearby suburb of Harrisburg, where they raised their children.

In 1992, Greg left York and began a successful 25-year career with Piedmont Natural Gas (now a part of Duke Energy), where he focused on technology development, sales and marketing management, and new business development such as adapting natural gas – the “clean” fuel - for commercial transportation use. His professional vision come true to see natural gas being used in many company and municipal fleets of cars, trucks and buses throughout our region. With his vision fulfilled, he retired from Piedmont in 2016 due to the disabling effects of his disease.

Greg was dedicated to serving the broader community – through education, fundraising, and industry partnerships. In 1990 he began a part-time role as an instructor for the Professional Engineering Review Course at UNCC where he taught graduate engineers in the areas of thermodynamics and heat transfer, enabling them to complete their requirements for the PE license. At CPCC, he served on the HVAC and Hospitality Program Advisory Committees, where he worked to fund and develop laboratories to support the education of HVAC technicians and culinary professionals on natural gas use. He also taught Junior Achievement classes in elementary and middle schools. Greg was the past chair of the Commercial/Industrial Marketing Committee and the A&E Conference of the Southern Gas Association, and past president of the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the American Society of Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE). He helped found and served as a long-time stakeholder of the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, an organization focused on advancing the use of alternative vehicle fuels throughout the region. He also helped establish and then became VP of the Charlotte chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII).

For many years, Greg was an active member in the Charlotte-South Rotary Club, Greg led his club’s signature educational service project (Beach Blast) for several years. He was grateful for the help and encouragement his Rotary family provided throughout his illness.

Greg was a Professional Engineer (P.E.) in North Carolina and Pennsylvania prior to retirement. He had a life-long passion for understanding how energy works and harnessing technology for more efficient ways to use it. Greg realized a personal dream come true by walking his daughter Sarah down the aisle at her wedding in this church last August, surrounded by extended family and friends and new son-in-law’s family from Japan.

Greg wanted to acknowledge and thank the members of his medical and home care teams and also ask for continued prayers and encouragement for his immediate family.

Visitation will be from 6 to 9 pm Thursday, March 15, 2018 at McEwen Derita Chapel, 6300 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, NC 28262. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 am Friday, March 16, 2018 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte, NC.

Burial will take place in St. James Catholic Church Cemetery, Concord, NC.

Memorials in Greg’s name may made be made to the MSA Coalition®, 9935-D Rea Road, Suite # 212, Charlotte NC 28277; and to the Charlotte-South Rotary Foundation, 7804-C Fairview Road, PMB 188, Charlotte, NC 28226.