Jay Sewell Johnson

Traverse City – Jay Sewell Johnson, 82, of Empire, Michigan passed away peacefully March 3, 2026, surrounded by his family. Jay was born in Waterloo, Iowa in 1943 to Delaine and Jeraldine Johnson. His father served in the South Pacific during World War II and settled in Dearborn, Michigan. Jay attended Dearborn High School and then enrolled at the University of Michigan. He worked in service stations and on the General Motors assembly line to finance his education while developing a lifelong love of automobiles. He graduated in 1965. While at Michigan, he met Elizabeth “Betsy” Wright. They were married in 1966 and moved to California where he attended Stanford Law School. Jay graduated with a J.D. in 1968. During this time, they got their first of many dogs – Spider – and traveled the country in a repurposed postal van. Following law school, Jay enlisted in the U.S. Army and was later commissioned into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. His service took them from Tacoma, Washington to Seoul, Korea and Denver before landing in Washington, D.C., where he completed a Master’s in Forensic Science at George Washington University. After leaving the Army in 1976, Jay and Betsy settled in Rockville, Maryland, where he began a distinguished career with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Rising to the position of Deputy General Counsel, he traveled the globe, from Samoa to China to the U.S.S.R., implementing and negotiating marine conservation agreements, including the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts, treaties with the Soviet Union and China, and domestic laws protecting sea turtles and salmon. Following his retirement from the Senior Executive Service, he and Betsy fulfilled a lifelong dream by moving “Up North” – building their dream home in Empire, a few miles from the family cabin on Little Glen Lake where they had spent every summer. Jay was proudest of his family. Betsy’s charisma and sharp wit animated Jay’s life and he partnered with her to advocate for conservation and the rights of those less fortunate. His children’s paths were inspired by his. Jay’s oldest son Bradley became an engineer at Ford Motor Company; his daughter Amanda, a lawyer serving around the world with the State Department; and his youngest son Nicholas an F/A-18 pilot for the Marine Corps. Jay and Betsy spent countless hours traveling the world to visit their children and grandchildren, while balancing a household full of dogs and classic cars in various stages of repair. Favorite trips included the Russian Far East, Ukraine, Germany, Honduras, the Amazon, and Botswana. Jay was known for his kindness, humility, empathy, humor, and unwavering character. His counsel was often sought and always cherished. If you were curious about salmon spawning or Keynesian economics, he had the answer, though you might be warned to set aside some time before asking. He knew what the right thing to do was, and he did it. He could fix anything, carve wooden sculptures, and bring a Dr. Seuss story to life. In many ways, he was the real-life Lorax. He genuinely cared “a whole awful lot” about other people and our planet. Jay is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 60 years, Betsy; his son Bradley Johnson and wife Kristen, their children Owen and Angus; his daughter Amanda Johnson Miller and husband Terence, their children Oliver, Maya, and Theodore; his son Colonel Nicholas Johnson and wife Elizabeth, their children Caroline and Kathleen; his younger sister Jacqueline “Jackie” Johnson, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Jay will be laid to rest at Maple Grove Cemetery in Empire, and a celebration of Jay’s extraordinary life will be held in late June. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Leelanau Conservancy. https://leelanauconservancy.org/donate/