Renner Michael Johnston, 84, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 9, at Trillium Woods Senior Living Community in Plymouth, Minnesota as a result of a stroke.
Renner was committed to making the world a better place by bringing quality orthopedic care to underserved areas of the world and to the Navajo Nation. He was honored to care for some of the remaining Code Talkers. He volunteered with Health Volunteers Overseas at least 10 times from Bhutan and Moldova to Guatemala, teaching and operating. Teaching orthopedic surgery to residents here and abroad was one of his unique passions. His career spanned Denver General, Park Nicollet in Minneapolis, the Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup, NM, and the VA in Minneapolis.
Renner was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, om June 16, 1938, where the Johnstons were some of the first settlers in the 1860s. After preparing at Winchester High School in Winchester, MA, Renner attended Harvard College where he was a member of Kirkland House and from which he obtained his A.B., majoring in biology, in 1960.
At one point Renner had to decide whether to go to medical school or pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals after a successful college pitching career at Harvard College. He played in an adult softball league for many years. He's always been an avid Twins, Cardinals and Broncos fan.
He obtained his M.D. from the University of Rochester Medical School in 1964. Shortly afterwards, he served for two years as a surgeon in the Vietnam War.
Living in Colorado for 20 years, he and his sons explored the mountains, jeeping, hiking, backpacking, and sailing on Lake Dillon. Later, his favorite gathering spot was his beloved cabin of 40 years on Lake Little Sissabagama near Stone Lake, Wisconsin. There he loved to gather with his beloved wife of 40 years, Jane, their sons Renner Jr. (Julia), Jim (Pam), Mark (Lloy) and Chris (Lisa). They loved watching the 9 grandchildren, Quincy, Luna, Harper, Anicee, Arlo, Willem, Henry, Graham and Maeve grow. Time was spent fishing, kayaking, playing games, doing puzzles, and snow shoeing. There Renner pursued his hobbies of welding metal sculptures, woodworking, restoring his wooden boats and growing grapes. They raised and loved 4 Saint Bernards -- Emma, Rosie, Ruby and Darby.
His other passion was traveling, usually with National Geographic to the wild places of the world from Antarctica to Svalbard to South Africa to Patagonia, sighting the wild animals and birds of our planet. For 30 years, he took various groups of friends and family outpost fishing in northern Canada, catching and releasing trophy Walleye and Northerns. A fishing contest was always at hand.
Renner had a razor sharp wit and sense of humor that always lit his beautiful hazel eyes.
Donations please to a cause to make the world a better place.
Slightly modified from version published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on May 14, 2023.
