Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson, 63, of Dunkirk NY passed away suddenly on September 24, 2024. Rick was married to his loving wife Michelle for 37 years and they had three children: Jillian (Keith) Cardinali, Brooke (Mathew) Gruttadauria, and Garret (Alison Polisoto) Johnson. The joy of his life were his two grandchildren to whom he was known as Papa: Mae Cardinali and Everleigh Gruttadauria.Widely known for his adventurous spirit, Rick was always planning his next adventure while reminiscing about his last. 

Rebuilding his sailboat, Bolero, and taking it on voyages was a passion. He enjoyed many scuba diving expeditions and was proud to earn his Rescue Diver certification. For over the last decade his favorite place to dive and vacation was St. Martin. During unfavorable seas, Rick could be found tinkering in his garage, where a classic car was waiting for the next sunny day’s drive.

A passion in Rick's life was adventure with his family. The family asks that in his memory you take an adventure with your family in celebration of his life. Rick was preceded by his Father Rexford Johnson. He was survived by: his mother Joyce Johnson, his wife Michelle Johnson, their children: Jillian (Keith) Cardinali, Brooke (Mathew) Gruttadauria, and Garret (Alison) Johnson, his grandchildren Mae Cardinali and Everleigh Gruttadauria, his siblings Steven Johnson and Michael (Laura) Johnson. 

Services will be held at Harvest Chapel Free Methodist Church in Fredonia, NY at 11:00 AM on Saturday October 5, 2024. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to be made to Nature Foundation Sint Maarten (https://naturefoundationsxm.org), a foundation that supports preservation, research and education of the marine life of Sint Maarten. This is a cause that Richard felt strongly about as the nature foundation manages the island’s coral reef and more.