Richard Verle Johnson, a longtime Tempe resident and lifelong enthusiast of cars and racing, died on June 1, 2026. He was born on November 17, 1953, in Jefferson, Iowa, to Verle "Bud" and Bonnie Johnson. His family relocated to Tempe in 1960, where he grew up and later built his professional and personal life. Johnson’s obituary notes a steady presence in the community over the decades that followed his arrival in Arizona.
Portrait accompanying the obituary on azcentral.com — an older man with white hair and a trimmed beard pictured indoors.
From a young age, Johnson had a pronounced interest in anything with wheels and motors. He took that fascination into competitive arenas, racing in the Arizona Desert Racing Association on 3-wheelers and motorcycles. Beyond racing, Johnson devoted himself to restoring and building classic automobiles, and he became an active member of the Arizona Street Rod Association. Those pursuits remained defining threads of his life, marking him as both a participant in and supporter of Arizona’s auto and racing communities.
Johnson’s connection to organized racing extended beyond competition. In 1992 he began working part-time at Firebird Raceway, where he took on roles that included staging and starting events. Over the course of the next decade he advanced to serve as Race Director, a position he held until 2002. His responsibilities at the track reflected a hands-on engagement with the operational side of motorsports and put him in a coordinating role for events during that period.
Alongside his activities at the racetrack, Johnson built a long career with the City of Tempe. He was hired by the Tempe Water Department in 1975 and spent thirty years with the city’s Water Utilities department. During his tenure he rose through the ranks and was promoted to Supervisor. He continued to live and work in Tempe until his retirement in 2005, completing a municipal career that stretched across three decades.
On the personal front, Johnson married Rebecca (known as Becky) in 1990; the couple had been married 36 years at the time of his passing. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Johnson; his son, Michael Johnson; and his daughter, Lisa Watts. His family also includes stepsons Robert V. Flora and Todd Hunsaker. Johnson’s obituary lists several siblings and relatives who survive him, including sisters Marcia Torgerson of Mesa and Cindy Bradford of Payson, and his uncle Ivan Lindell of Sun City. His family extends further to six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, along with numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.
A Celebration of Life for Johnson is planned for later this year, with the family indicating arrangements will be announced. The obituary was posted online on June 19, 2026, and published in The Arizona Republic. The notice provides the basic timeline of his life and public roles and lists survivors for those who wish to reach out to the family or attend memorial arrangements when they are scheduled.
Those who wish to acknowledge Johnson’s life may note the family’s plans for a later commemoration. The obituary includes the core facts of his life: his years of birth and death, his move to Tempe as a child, a decades-long career in the city’s Water Utilities department culminating in a supervisory role, active involvement in Arizona’s racing and classic car communities, and his tenure at Firebird Raceway from 1992 until 2002. Surviving family members are listed for those who may wish to offer condolences or memories.
Richard Verle Johnson’s obituary records a life anchored in community and in mechanical pursuits. He is remembered through the family he leaves behind, the colleagues and neighbors from his municipal career, and the fellow racers and car enthusiasts with whom he spent much of his time. A Celebration of Life will provide an opportunity for friends and family to gather later this year to honor his memory.