Ralph Theodore Johnson, Jr.

On November 5, 2025, Ralph Theodore Johnson, Jr., 90, finally got his wish – the Good Lord took him. He is being lovingly welcomed by his wife Ruth, son Tom and daughter-in-law Tina, his parents, his siblings Jerry Johnson and Julanne Creech and a host of family and friends. Left behind are his daughter Barbara of Albuquerque, NM, son Greg of San Antonio, Tx., daughter Janet Hecht and husband Alan of Lawrenceville GA., Grandson Tom, wife Renee and children Cameron and Delaney of Larkspur, CO, and granddaughter Tiffany Stewart, husband Jacob and sons, Jude and Theodore of Brighton, CO. He also leaves behind his sister Jolene and husband Bob Adams of Maple Grove, MN, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and many dear friends.

He was a Kansas boy at heart, born in Salina on April 29, 1935. He spent many summers working on his grandparent’s farm where he also raised Hampshire hogs and won awards in 4H. He was in AF ROTC while a student at Kansas State University, where he met his future wife Ruth to whom he was married for over 65 years at her death in 2023. With initial designs on being an Air Force fighter pilot, he got his private pilot’s license while an undergraduate. One of his favorite stories was about taking Ruth on her first flight ever as his first passenger after getting his license. He reconsidered his future as a pilot, married Ruth and went on to receive his PhD. in Physics from Kansas State University.

He fulfilled his debt to the military by accepting his commission at what was then known as the Air Force Weapons Lab at Kirtland AFB. Upon completing his military obligation, he went on to a career at Sandia National Laboratories where he worked in various areas including weapons research. At the time of his retirement in 2007, he was the Manager of the Measurement Standards department. He published his research extensively (on topics most of us would not understand – cobalt whiskers, dielectric phenomena, etc.). He was awarded a patent for a neutron detector in 1971.

A man of faith and a devout Catholic, Ralph was probably proudest, after his family, of his and Ruth’s involvement in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s Marriage Enrichment Program of which they were founding members. Through this program they were able to minister to married and engaged couples in New Mexico and beyond, in congregations of varying faiths. He and Ruth retired from the Board of the program after 40 active years in the ministry.

Ralph, known in his younger years as Ted, was a smart, analytical and impatient man, who always loved and protected his family. He was chronically early and a little OCD. He did not buy in to traditional gender roles teaching all of his children how to change both a tire and their own oil when they started to drive. He loved to tinker and was a pretty good Mr. Fix-It. He truly enjoyed his years with the Boy Scouts going on long backpacking trips and taking his family on rafting excursions down the Colorado River. He was once the proud owner of 2 Model T’s: a 1924 Roadster and a ‘26 Touring-perfect for a tinkerer. His children learned to curse when he was working on his cars and replacing tubes in the television – what a legacy!

The family would like to thank the staff at La Vida Llena and Roadrunner Hospice for helping ease his transition. In lieu of flowers, the family would request memorial contributions be made to The Catholic Foundation, Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Ralph and Ruth Johnson Marriage Enrichment Endowment Fund, 4833 Pan American Fwy, Ste. D, Albuquerque, NM 87107.

Services will be held at the John XXIII Catholic Community, 4831 Tramway Ridge Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM on Friday, November 21, 2025; there will be a viewing and visitation at 9:30 am and a funeral mass at 10 am followed by a reception. Interment will be at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery at 1 pm.