Peter W. “Pete” Johnson was born in Clarkston, Washington on October 1, 1952, and grew up on the family farm north of Brule, Wisconsin. He graduated from Northwestern High School in Maple in 1970 before attending UW-Superior. There he met the love of his life Shari Lowney. They married in Madison in 1991. Shari preceded him in death in 2020. Pete loved and missed her until June 15, 2026, when he died at Essentia Hospital in Duluth with his loving sister Chris by his side.

Pete battled schizophrenia all of his adult life. It was in spite of his mental illness that he found happiness in marriage to his beloved Shari. He engaged with the world through his writing—poetry, letters to the editor, and articles for The Duluth Reader. All his life he rejected hate and cruelty and loved kindness and mercy. Although the paranoia that came with his illness sometimes made it difficult, he believed in the goodness of the people around him and did his best to be a kind and gentle person. His life was not easy, but there was much to admire in his brave struggle with schizophrenia. He often spoke of his good fortune. He especially remembered his happy childhood surrounded by the beauty of the Brule River, Lake Superior, and a pack of good friends who ranged our rural neighborhood on their bikes. He considered himself lucky.

Pete was preceded in death by his parents Peter and Esther (Maki) Johnson, and by Shari.

He is survived by his sisters Mary(Chris) Johnson of Superior and Jane (Roy) Noffke of Madison . Also surviving are Shari’s brothers Jeff and Rick and her sister Donna, all of whom were kind and helpful to Pete and Shari over the years.

A celebration of Pete’s life will be held Friday July 17, 2026, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm with a time of remembrance at 3:00 pm at Downs Life Celebration Center, 1902 N 34th Street, Superior.