William Johnson

On May 21st, 2021, Dr. William Fell Johnson passed away in his home in Arroyo Hondo, surrounded by family. Bill had been battling multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, since 2018. He was 69.

Bill was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 22, 1951, to John Triplett Haxall Johnson and Eleanor Boyd Johnson. He attended Calvert and Gilman schools, where he excelled at sports and took a keen interest in Earth Day. Bill then went on to Harvard College, where he became an expert birder—throughout the rest of his life, he impressed his family with quick ornithological identifications through only a glimpse of a wing or a snippet of song. After college, Bill headed to the University of Colorado for his MD, specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry. He married Denise McAfee in 1981 in Denver, with whom he shared a passion for mountain biking and all manner of outdoor activities. After stints in Baltimore, Maryland, and Longmont, Colorado, Bill and Denise and family settled in Santa Fe in 1992.

Dr. Johnson practiced psychiatry in Northern New Mexico for 26 years, primarily serving Santa Fe, Española, and Bernardo. He was an early supporter of medical cannabis, certifying patients with PTSD and other psychological aliments; later, he found relief in cannabis during his own battle with multiple myeloma. His focus was always on underserved populations, both urban and rural.

Bill was instrumental in the foundation of the Arroyo Hondo Open Space, where he served as the trail steward until his death. Dedicated to open spaces and public lands, Bill was a board member of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust for 18 years and an advocate of the Trails Alliance of Santa Fe. As a trails user, he was a skilled mountain biker who sought new routes and shared adventures with tons of friends.

Bill also built a world-class garden at his home. Bill’s green thumb was well known; visiting friends would often leave Arroyo Hondo with a bag of lettuce and a handful of tomatoes. He made a sanctuary in the desert, guided by the principles a sustainability and contemplative beauty. He passed on his love of biking, land stewardship, and gardening to his surviving family: wife Denise; son Adam; daughter Claire, Jo (her partner) and grandson Remco; and daughter Emma and son-in-law Nick. His dog, Gui, will miss their evening rides around the neighborhood.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Santa Fe Conservation Trust or any trails-related cause. Bill will be cremated and his ashes distributed across the earth., The Johnson family will host a memorial for Bill at Rivera Kiva Chapel of Light on August 7th at 1pm.