Johnson

David Ernest “Dave” Johnson passed peacefully in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at his home in Slippery Rock.

He devoted his 74 years of life to connecting himself and all those he met to our natural world.

He was born to Carroll “Redbird” Johnson and Eileen (Griffiths) Johnson, in Pittsburgh, on March 31, 1951. Dave grew up in the Fox Chapel area alongside his older brothers, Lee and Alan, in a three-generation household. Dave took great interest in the flora and fauna around him, embarking on many adventures and explorations in what was, at the time, still a very rural area.

He attended Fox Chapel High and then Penn State University, departing State College with a bachelor’s degree in interpretive service from the newly formed program. Dave's work as a naturalist began in high school and was extensive, taking him from the inner city of Pittsburgh to the back country of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, all along the shores of Chincoteague and Assateague, and as far as Alabama.

His career with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources was long and storied. Dave worked for Black Moshannon, Clear Creek and Ohiopyle state parks, eventually becoming the Region II environmental education specialist. In 1980, Dave was hired to supervise Jennings Environmental Education Center, a place where his work with the massasauga rattlesnake, the relict eastern prairie (and, of course, the tapping of delicious maple syrup) perhaps best defines his career.

Under his leadership, Jennings began what is likely the longest continuously running massasauga monitoring project in the country. Dave was a pioneer for the use of prescribed fire in Pennsylvania state parks. He was instrumental in bringing various groups together to innovate an approach to remediate abandoned mine drainage through passive treatment and the work done at Jennings has been used as a model for systems worldwide. He helped establish the Jennings Water Quality Commission and Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition and was a board member of Stream Restoration Inc. Notably, he collaborated with botanist Virginia Phelps on early research on the American Columbo, a curious, endangered plant in Pennsylvania.

Dave also managed to marry, divorce, raise two boys and a series of faithful black Labs, and renovate two old homes during this era. He was very close with his extended family for many years and shared an especially strong bond with his brothers. He loved to hunt, fish, trap, hike, camp and shoot and he introduced his children to all of this and more as well as others via his time with Boy Scout Troop 33 Prospect.

He kept hives of bees, planted and pruned orchards, gardened, blacksmithed, brewed, foraged for morels, elderberry and fiddleheads, kept his Jeep running and his house in order. Dave loved woodworking. He took deep, extensive dives into American and Scottish history, bringing many of the ancient techniques back to life, building (and using) his own period-correct muzzleloaders, blades and equipment and collaborating with others at the Eastern Primitive Rendezvous. Dave took great interest in his heritage, tracing it in detail from the founding of the Scottish clan his ancestors belonged to, their journey to America and all the intertwining relationships that ensued.

After “retirement” in 2011, Dave continued his work as a volunteer at Jennings and with many other organizations, including 3MJC, leading the Foltz School project restoring an 1880s era school. He spent his golden years honing his skills as a folk artist and gunsmith in between frequent travels to Maine, England, Ireland and Scotland with his longtime partner, Gina Padilla.

Dave is survived by his sons, Ben and Chris Johnson; his partner, Gina; and his tight-knit community and extended family members who will miss him dearly.

He was a true Renaissance man, a devoted father, partner, civil servant and friend who lived authentically by his clan’s motto “vive ut postea vivas” — live that you may live again.

It was Dave’s wish to be cremated and for a wake to be thrown in celebration of his life. Please join us online at davejohnson.life for more information.

Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.