William Russell Johnson
October 22, 1932 - July 18, 2008
Bill was born and raised in Butte, Montana. Upon graduating, he did a tour of Duty in the United States Navy during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged he decided to pursue a career in restaurant management and food service. He attended San Diego State University and also took specialized cooking courses in New York, London and Paris.
Bill moved to San Francisco and started a successful catering business while also teaching a gourmet cooking course at the Paul Mayer Cooking School. He helped open and set up menus for several San Francisco restaurants, including The Galleon, Polk Street Connection, and Olive Oil�s Pier 50 Restaurant. He accepted a position as Master Chef with the Marriot Hotel of San Francisco in 1984 and worked there until his retirement in 1998.
Bill loved to travel and to entertain his many friends. He was active in the gay community, always willing to help with whatever was needed. He made his home in the Castro where he lived for over 35 years. Bill was a gentle, kind and loving person whose quick wit, great sense of humor and friendship will be missed by many.
He is survived by his partner of five years, Larry Ketcherside and his long-time companion pussy cat, Shanee. Bill donated his body to the University of California, San Francisco to further medical research.
He requested that there be no funeral or memorial service. Donations can be made in his honor to any AIDS charity or to the SF-SPCA. Be free my loving friend until we meet again.