Van Eldon Johnston's Obituary
Van Eldon Johnston was born in Preston, Idaho (Franklin Co.) on January 22, 1953 and
quietly passed away on February 12, 2021 in Mapleton, UT. He is the youngest child of Eldon
Richard Johnston and Enid Woolsey Johnston. Van grew up in a quiet farming community,
where mischief was aplenty. He moved to Provo to attend Brigham Young University. He left
after a year to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Los
Angeles, CA, where he learned Spanish. He kept it up his whole life and loved speaking it with
others when he could. After his mission, he moved to Boise, ID where he learned and fell in love
with cabinetry, a passion he kept up his entire life. He later moved to Utah County, working as a
cabinet maker and in a grocery store. It was in the latter that he met his future wife Terry. They
were wed on August 25, 1977 in the Provo Utah Temple. Soon after, they moved to Woodland,
CA where they made their home for over 30 years. In their 43 years of marriage, they had 6
children. He is preceded in death by both his parents and older brother Dean Richard. He is
survived by his wife Terry, his children Eldon (Rebecca), Gaylene (Erik), Rebecca (Randy),
Karen (Jason), Laura (Andrew), and Tamara (Stuart), as well as 11 grandchildren. He is also
survived by his sisters Anna Louise and Elaine Enid. A memorial service for the family will be
held on February 19, 2021 and the burial will take place the following day at the Preston City
Cemetery.
The family will appreciate any help with funeral costs. A Go Fund Me has been set up in their behalf. https://www.gofundme.com/f/van-johnston-memorial-fund. Thank you.
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