Clayton Scott Johnson, lifelong trucker
Clayton “Poppy” Scott Johnson, 75, passed away Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, after a brief illness.
As a sailor, Scott was very proud to be on board the USS Wasp for the recovery of the Gemini VII capsule. Always a hard worker, he was proudly employed by the Chormans. Scott was working up to 60 hours a week before his illness. He was a long-haul truck driver for over 50 years; CJ (his CB handle) loved the road. He posted his dining experiences on Facebook from his travels. Scott was also part owner in a family business, Red Mill Radiator, for a number of years. This led to a love of the local dirt tracks Friday and Saturday nights. He was also involved in harness horse racing.
Scott was a true outdoorsman. He loved hunting, especially out west and in Maine, where he helped build a hunting cabin. Scott also loved fishing, boating and photography. He was a self-taught photographer and passed his knowledge down to his younger brother and sister. Scott loved classic cars, motorcycles, trains and planes. He took his loved of aviation and photography and combined them. He and Eliijah sold pictures online of their airplane chases (still available). Scott considered himself a Renaissance man. He was an avid reader. Thoreau was his favorite author and provided philosophies for life. Scott loved all genres of music. He hosted his own radio show as the Mad Hatter on 107.9 for a while.
Scott was preceded in death by his wife Jan; his parents Joan and George; his birth mother Barbara; and his brother Kirk. Grieving his loss are his daughters, Kelly and Deanna; his granddaughters, Chrishelle and Nahla; his great-grandchildren, Selayna, Na’Kari, Julian, Kayceon, and Poppy's treasured wingman, Eliijah. Scott is also survived by his brothers, Doug, Walt and Peter; his sisters, Cathy, Colleen and Penni; his cousins, Fritz, Anne, Shira, Flo, Linda and Mike; his close friends, John and Debbie Neidrich, Jimmy and Dot Neidrich, Sam and Lois James, and Allen Carter; many nieces and nephews; his cousin and buddy, Justin; and colleagues and friends. Scott touched many lives.
No services are scheduled at this time.
Donations can be made to American Cancer Society or Eliijah’s college fund. The family also encourages blood and platelet donations.
The family sincerely thanks all of Scott’s caregivers and everyone who supported them during this time.
“Life is only understood backwards, but it must be lived forward,” Soren Kierkegaard.
