"Roy"
Aaron Leeroy Johnson, "Roy", of Pleasant Grove, Utah, died April 19, 2000 of causes incident to age.
He was born June 9, 1909 near Raymond, Alberta, Canada, to Willis Kelsey and Hattie Lee Johnson. Family moved to Mapleton, Utah at an early age and he attended Payson High School. Married Lael Hansen on Sept. 4, 1928. She died August, 1970. Married Alice K. Kasper on Nov. 2, 1973. Mr. Johnson was an avid hunter and fisherman. While working with a survey gang at the Grand Canyon, he hunted and would lasso live cougars with professional lion hunter Jim Owens and author Zane Grey.
In his early years, he worked for the Ozokerite Mining and Refining Company, and then went into the gasoline and trucking business at Thistle, Utah. During this time he served as President of the Utah Coal and Produce Truckers Assn. and was instrumental in developing equitable license fee schedules and load-capacity per-axle laws for the State of Utah which are still in effect.
He owned a road construction company for some time, and owned and operated coal mines at Clear Creek and Huntington Canyon. He went to work on construction of Geneva Steel at the start of World War II, and then served as Supervisor of Safety and Casualty for all Utah Operations of U.S. Steel, including coal mines at Price, Iron Mines at Cedar City, and Quarries at Payson as well as the Geneva Steel Plant.
In later years he was given the responsibility of Plant Protection at Geneva Works, from which position he retired in 1970. He then moved to Pleasant Valley, Uintah Basin, where he operated a successful cattle ranch until he retired again in 1979 and moved back to Pleasant Grove permanently.
He was an avid sportsman during all of his lifetime. In the 1930's he hunted cougars which were shipped live to Hollywood for motion pictures. He loved hunting deer and elk, and was an incomparable fly-fisherman. He and his wife have traveled all over the world pursuing these interests. He was a current member of BPOE 849, Provo, and a past member of Riverside and Alpine Country Clubs, and Kiwanis and Lions Club.
He is survived by his wife Alice of Pleasant Grove; daughters, Elaine J. (Richard) Whitehead of Denver, CO; Kaye Gillen of Salt Lake City; sons, Roy A. (Marilyn) Johnson of Spring, TX; Frank E. Kasper of Harlingen, TX; brothers, Fred D. (Jane) Johnson and Frank Johnson of Salt Lake City; and Willis K. (Emma) Johnson of Tooele. He is also survived by two sisters, Cora Lee Johnson of Springville; and Claudia Seeley of Orem; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 22nd at 11 a.m. at Olpin Family Mortuary, 494 S. 300 E., Pleasant Grove, where friends may call Friday from 6-8 p.m. and one hour prior to services. Burial will be in the American Fork City Cemetery, 600 N. Center St.