David, son of Clifford and Victoria (Fogelberg) Johnson, was born in Watertown, SD. His early years were spent on a farm near Ortley, SD.  After the deaths of his father in 1951 and mother in 1952, he and his younger sisters, Mary Ann and Vivian, resided on a farm near Stockholm, SD with their maternal grandparents, David and Anna Fogelberg, and uncles Harold, Henry and Elmer Fogelberg.

David graduated from South Shore, SD high school in 1961, South Dakota State University in 1965 and received his MS and PhD in nuclear physics from the U of Iowa.  From 1970-1974 he  was stationed at the US Weapons Laboratory at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM.  After three years at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, he returned to Albuquerque in 1977 and was employed at Sandia National Laboratories until retiring in 2005.

He married Norma Hanson June 11, 1967 in Brookings, SD.

David pursued many interests during his lifetime—photography, especially landscapes, which was combined with his love of backpacking in the Rockies.  He enjoyed classical music, played flute with small groups, and was an avid vinyl record collector.  He restored cars, including the first car he owned, a 1958 Ford sedan.  David was a biker and runner and participated in many 5K and 10K runs.  After retiring he spent summers on his grandparents' farm in SD, baling hay, repairing buildings, restoring old tractors and machinery, and socializing at the local cafe.  He traveled to most of the US states and Canadian provinces, northern Europe, southern Africa and southern South America.

Throughout his life, David was intellectually curious, loving to read and study the workings of the world.  His worldview was shaped by a loving upbringing on a farm with limited means and a strong work ethic.  He believed in using what you have, fixing it over and over if needed, and only buying new if there was no one who could fix it—and he could fix almost anything.  He was thrifty and handy, with a knack for engineering.  He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Norma; son David Mark Johnson and daughters Ingrid and Siri;  son Daniel (Kim) Johnson and children Eliana, Naomi and Johannes; daughter Deborah (Shannon) Wamre and daughters Francine and Bridgette; daughter Diana (Bradley) Reents and children Owen and Emilia; and brother-in-law, Michael Maps.   He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Mary Ann (David) Good and Vivian Maps, and daughter-in-law Sara Sulzbach.

A graveside service will be held Sunday, June 29, 2025 at 2 PM at First Lutheran Cemetery, Volga, SD and followed by a reception at Eidsness Funeral Chapel in Volga.