DONALD K. JOHNSON

April 21, 1937 – October 1, 2019

Survived by his spouse of 59 years – Margaret; Daughter Julie and Son Daniel. He has 2 Granddaughters Amy and Sarah and 1 Grandson Christopher as well as 5 Great Grandchildren.  He moved his family from Sioux Falls, SD to Portland, Or in the mid 60s.

Don served honorably in the U. S. Air Force from 1956 to 1960 including a tour of duty in Italy.

He worked in the Printing Industry and founded Echo Printing which he ran until his retirement.

Don was an avid outdoorsman; long time member and served on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Duck Hunters Association.  He also held membership in Ducks Unlimited and the Walleye Fishermen’s Group.  He was a strong supporter of Wildlife Conservation; wetlands restoration projects and youth outdoor education.

One of his great passions was hunting with his beloved springers Echo 1 and Echo 11.

In lieu of flowers, his family would appreciate donations to ODHA in his remembrance.  Oregon Duck Hunters Association, P. O. Box 2213, Portland, OR  97208

A celebration will be held early November with details to follow.

Please enjoy a story Don wrote:

ECHO 1

FLUSHER AND RETRIEVER

by Don Johnson

Her first year, she retrieved a porky. She came away with a muzzle full of quills! A year later, she tried to retrieve a beaver as big as she was. She came away with a two inch gash on her hind quarter. She don’t flush or retrieve those animals anymore.

Anyways, after many flushes and retrieves, one comes to mind that bears telling.

We’re hunting the Ty Hansils’ farm/ranch, east of Boardman.  The Hansils are a family of businessmen, farmers, ranchers, politicians, conservationists long of eastern Oregon.

Ty mentioned a section of the farm that had a good population of pheasants. A dry drainage ran through it for ½ mile, covered with good brush.

Now, Echo gets excited when she sees a gun. She gets more excited when we start hunting. Her stubby tail wiggles fast. She yips and whines.

So, we start our push on the ditch. About half way through, we know the birds are running ahead of us. Echo is whining and yipping. Its hard to keep her close in. A bird now and then flies out the side 100 yards away, but we know at the end, the cover will stop, and that’s where the payoff is.

As we near the end, Echo is going nuts. I ready my Ruger over-under, two shots, two birds, a limit, right!

Then, there are birds all over! Off to my right, a rooster gets up with Echo hanging on his tail. She comes loose and the rooster, as they will do, goes straight up. I wait till he levels off, as I know he will, and starts away. An easy shot. I pull the trigger, a miss!! Out the corner of my eye I can see Echo waiting so I shoot again and hit the bird a little behind. The bird gets his wings and starts gliding down towards some trees, about 150 yards out.

All this time I can see Echo running with the bird, her eyes glued to it. Pretty soon, bird, dog, earth collide. Feathers, fur, dirt fly everywhere.

When the dust settles, Echo has bird in mouth. She starts back. About half way, the rooster starts flapping. She stops, puts both paws on the bird, gets a better grip and brings the bird to hand. She wants for me to take the bird and I do. I’m happy. I know she’s happy- her stub is wiggling. The end of a good hunt.

That evening, after a good dinner and treat for Echo, we’re relaxing in the motel. I’m lying on the bed watching TV. I look down at Echo, her big brown eyes meet mine and I swear she’s smiling at me! I pat the bed for her to jump up. She tries, but her hindquarters are too stiff, so I get up and help her to the end of the bed. I lay back on the bed and look at her again, I know she’s smiling now. Her stubby tail is going to come off. I pat for her to come up closer. She bellies up to my hand, she puts her muzzle in my palm and licks it. My eyes get a little misty and I have to say to myself……what did I do to deserve this.