It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of Dean Mark Johnstone on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Born on October 3, 1971, Dean is the son of Lucy Johnstone and of the late Junior (Heber) Johnstone.

Dean is survived by his daughter Alyssa Johnstone; brother Ian (Andrea); sister Roxane; nephews Kaleb and Logan Johnstone (Ian); and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Alyssa Johnstone was a bright light his life; a sweet, loving, intelligent young lady.

Those that knew Dean swore that he had nine lives, but from things known and stories told we think he raised the bar on that one.

In the early years, hanging with Dean was adventurous. Whether you were with the ‘little rat pack in back Cardigan’, or riding bike from sunup to sundown, playing ball hockey at family gatherings, climbing trees, jumping out of the barn loft, playing backyard baseball until there was a fist fight, playing cops and robbers or war, swimming in the marsh, being mischievous on the back roads of Cardigan or at Kingsway, there was no doubt you were in on extreme fun and even misadventures, which was always part of the fun.        

Dean spent his adult life out west where he put his gifted mechanical abilities to work. He worked mainly in the logging industry skillfully operating large machinery, sometimes in the most challenging work environments; he even learned to fly a helicopter at one point.    

Although he lived far away from home, he never missed a weekly update with mom. He made friends easily and was always there for them, especially if they were down. He loved driving fast, working on his truck, helping others with their vehicles and was a great collector of Milwaukee tools.

His playful nature and mishaps were constant during his lifetime. He loved playing sports and the great outdoors, to fish, hunt, go clamming, make bonfires on the beach, enjoyed paint ball games with his nephews, driving his Chev with his dog Jessie, chasing cousins with snakes, but one time he was chased … by a grizzly bear, he also lost brakes driving down the side of a mountain, broke legs four times, ruptured his spline, was stung 35 times at once by black hornets, cut himself with a chainsaw, flipped a logging forwarder on a mountain, etc., etc., … did we mention nine lives?

Dean lived his life to the fullest. That ‘life of the party’, free spirit guy, with the undeniable laugh was someone that was difficult to ignore.

His fearless ways and infectious smile broke hearts and won hearts, and today we find ourselves with heavy hearts as he is no longer in the world in which we live in.

RIP Dean Mark, may you find your place in your new world.

Funeral will take place at 1:30 pm at All Saints Parish Church on Friday, April 14th  followed by a celebration of life at the Ferguson Logan Funeral Home from 3:00 until 5:30 pm.