Richard W. Johnson

Richard Wilbur Johnson, age 89, of Fitchburg died on June 2, 2024, of natural causes. He was born on July 25, 1934, at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, MN and grew up in Big Lake, MN where he graduated from high school in 1952. He graduated with honors from Princeton University in 1956, and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1961. 

Dick married Adelle Clare Dowidat on Nov. 27, 1959, in Minneapolis, MN, where they met at the office for King Midas Flour Mills while working part-time during school vacations. He and Adelle had 4 children born in 4 different states where Dick worked as a teacher and counselor at one of the state universities: (U. of Minnesota-Minneapolis; U. of North Dakota-Grand Forks, U. of Massachusetts-Amherst, and U. of Wisconsin-Madison). He retired from the UW-Madison in 1997 as Adjunct Professor Emeritus of Counseling Psychology and as Director of Training at the University Counseling Service. 

He enjoyed reading, particularly biographies, genealogical work, buying and selling collectible items, exercise (he played basketball with an exercise group at the UW for 31 years), travel, and writing. He was the co-author (with Albert B. Hood) of a bestselling textbook on psychological assessment in counseling that was published and revised four times over a 20-year period. 

Dick is survived by Adelle, his 4 children: Cynthia Clare Ivy of Scottsdale, AZ, Whitney Richard (Stephanie Stry) Johnson of Cold Spring, MN, Kara Marie (Christian) Schmidt of Verona, WI, and Amy Adelle (Pedro Sanctos) Johnson of Portland, OR, 8 grandchildren (Jacob, Caroline, Calia, & Jonah Ivy; Owen & Sonja Johnson; and Gus & Greta Schmidt), and a sister-in-law, Carol Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert H. and Florence (White) Johnson, of Big Lake, MN, and a brother, Donald (Betty) Johnson of Rochester, MN, and brother, Gerald Johnson of Ramsey, MN. A memorial service will be held on July 18 (11 am) at Midvale Community Lutheran Church, 4329 Tokay Blvd., Madison, WI. Visitation will be July 17 (4-7 pm) at Cress Funeral Home 3610 Speedway Road. In lieu of flowers, donations to Alzheimer’s Association, UW-Madison, or Midvale Community Lutheran Church would be greatly appreciated. 

Obituary, guestbook, photo tribute can be found online at cressfuneralservice.com 

We welcome you to share your thoughts and memories on Dick's Tribute Wall.