January 22, 1933 – February 22, 2026
David C. Johnson, 93, of Pacific Palisades, CA, passed away Sunday, February 22, 2026, in Carlsbad, California.
He will be laid to rest at Sunset Rest Cemetery in Northwood, Iowa, alongside his beloved wife, Judith and daughter Stephanie.
David Clarke Johnson was born in Manly, Iowa, the son of Clifton Clarke and Marjory Emily (Ashenfelter) Johnson. Growing up in Northwood, David attended Northwood High School, where he graduated in 1951. He grew up with strong Midwestern values that would guide him throughout his life and on February 5, 1953, he married the love of his life, Judith Ann Bolener, in Iowa City. Together they attended the University of Iowa, graduating in 1957; David with a BA in Civil Engineering and Judith with a degree in English.
After graduating from U of I, the couple moved to Santa Monica, California and later Pacific Palisades. The couple were blessed with two daughters, Stephanie and Cynnthia. They worked diligently to build a beautiful life together and shared 73 devoted years of marriage.
David’s first job offer, while still attending U of I, was in California and upon graduation he worked at McDonald Douglas Aircraft in El Segundo, CA. After a brief career there he was hired by E. L. Pearson & Associates and began his work in real estate development. David put his engineering talents into several roads, homes, and business developments; many that still remain today. After several years with Pearson & Assoc., he and a colleague began their own successful development company by the name of Consolidated Consultants Inc. or C.C.I. While working at C.C.I. and being hired to do engineering work on projects for Watt Development, David and Mr. Ray Watt became acquainted. At the time, Ray Watt was considered the largest real estate builder of homes in Southern California, and he took a shine to David.
When David and his partner made the decision to close C.C.I., David was not done working and was snapped up by Watt Development immediately. David remained with Watt for the rest of his career up until his retirement in 2018 at the age of 86. David had achieved the position of Vice President of Engineering while at Watt, and to this day all who worked with him lovingly remember him as a mentor, extremely dedicated and a catalyst to their own careers in real estate development.
David loved his family deeply and took great pride in the home and life he and Judith created together. He was a reluctant participant of travel, but had many explorations through the United States and the world with Judith and family. He also enjoyed attending the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament in England several times with Judith and was an avid fan of football, golf and tennis, achieving a tennis ranking of 40th in the state of California.
David appreciated good food and accompanied Judith in discovering new restaurants throughout Los Angeles and enjoyed the meals that she lovingly prepared at home for her family. He valued time spent with friends and family and treasured gatherings filled with laughter and stories of “the good ol’ days” from a rich childhood spent in Northwood.
Surviving are his daughter, Cynnthia B. Johnson; sisters Eve Conner and Lynnette (Marty) Myhre and brother Lynn (Barb) Conner, as well as extended family and many friends & colleagues.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Judith; his daughter, Stephanie; and his parents, Marjory and Ansel Conner and his father, Clifton C. Johnson
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