SURF community celebrates the memory of Michael F. Johnson
Johnson was a mechanical engineer at the Sanford Underground Research Facility for 13 years
The Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) staff and community is saddened by the news of Michael F. Johnson’s passing. Johnson was an engineering project manager at SURF for 13 years and at the Homestake Gold Mine before its closing.
Johnson’s expertise was much sought-after and frequently took him abroad for consulting work to such countries as China, Japan, Canada and England. He also traveled extensively across the U.S., according to his obituary.
In 2019, Johnson retired from SURF. At his retirement party, he was gifted a legacy Lily controller, a novel safety component that monitors the deceleration rate of the cage conveyance.
After retirement, Johnson continued to work part-time at the facility to consult on ongoing projects.
“Mike forgot more about the systems here that support underground operations than most of us will ever know,” said Allan Stratman, SURF chief engineer. “He was the best of engineers as he was the technical expert in the design of systems. He was equally well versed in the field, working with technicians on operations—a rare combination. Beyond that and more importantly, Mike was a humble and kind person who worked well with everyone. He left us way to soon and he will be sorely missed.”
On September 5, at the age of 73, Johnson passed away after a battle with renal cancer. Johnson’s full obituary can be found on the Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel’s website.