WILD HEARTS GALLERY HAS LOST A DEAR FRIEND

Dr. David R. Johnson passed away at his home in Placitas on Thursday, July 24, after a long illness.

David was born on January 1, 1955, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Winnie Maggiore, brother Brian Johnson and sisters Lisa Brakemeier and Holly Suronen. He was known for his kindness and dedication to his community.
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David graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1981 and came to New Mexico to do his residency in Internal Medicine at UNM. He became board certified in Internal Medicine in 1984. An interest in emergency medicine was sparked by Winnie’s involvement with the volunteer Placitas Fire Brigade. He started his medical career in the emergency room at UNM in 1985 (emergency medicine had not yet become a specialty). He started the Urgent Care Center and helped start the emergency medicine residency program. In July of 1993, he obtained his second board certification, this time in Emergency Medicine. David was the second Medical Director for the Placitas Fire Brigade and one of the first physicians to begin responding to calls alongside the EMS crews.

After 15 years as an emergency medicine physician, he suffered a stroke in 1996 that hospitalized him for almost four months. The stroke left him without speech, reading or writing ability. Although he came home in a wheelchair, he dedicated himself to rehabilitation and eventually returned to running and skiing. When he realized that he could no longer practice medicine, he built a home workshop and reinvented himself as a woodworker. He became known for working with exotic woods and producing pieces that were not only beautiful, but functional. He was one of the founding members of Wild Hearts Gallery and his later years were enriched by his art and the fellowship of the artists there.
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His artistic, volunteer and professional legacies will continue to inspire all who knew him.