Adam Kenneth Johanson

Adam was born February 8, 1983 on Incirik Air Base in Turkey. The son of Doug and Janice Williams Johanson, he is survived by his parents, five siblings— Cynthia Moyes (Les), Carrie Butikofer (James), Matt (Mary), Joshua (Alyssa) and Jacob (Camilla)—and his three children—Megan (12), Alec Adam (5) and Charlotte (3). He is preceded in death by his son Jack Alexander Johanson (deceased December 2008).

Adam graduated from Chaparral High School in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001, where he played on the varsity football team and was chosen valedictorian for his graduating class. From 2002-2004, he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frankfurt, Germany. In May of 2005, Adam married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Marshall Johanson. To even the casual observer, Adam’s every thought, word and action quickly revealed his complete deep and abiding love for his wife. As their daughter Jane noted recently, the only thing that Adam and Elizabeth ever argued over was who loved whom more. Together, they would have 5 children.

A consummate scholar, Adam graduated from Brigham Young University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Physics-Astronomy, while minoring

in mathematics. In 2009, he completed a master’s degree in Astrophysics at Iowa State University. He was granted a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy from Brigham Young University in 2015. While working on his Ph.D., Adam also lectured on physics and astronomy at Utah Valley University, where he would act as an assistant professor from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, Adam took the position of Assistant Professor of Physics at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Adam also served as Director of the university’s newly renovated, state-of-the art Wiley Planetarium. Adam took every opportunity to educate students, friends and family about his love and understanding of science and the cosmos. He spent endless hours preparing for and giving lectures about the finest details of what he found interesting and knew to be true. He will be remembered by students and faculty for his love of learning about the wonders and mysteries of the universe and for his desire to share his knowledge and understanding with others.

Adam was a life-long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had a deep love for his Savior Jesus Christ and held a strong and unwavering testimony of the truthfulness of His gospel. He was a man of great faith, a student and teacher of the gospel and looked for every opportunity to gain knowledge, teach, serve and inspire others through conversation, teaching and example. His faith was rooted in his fervent belief that families can be together forever; a doctrine that would give Adam and Elizabeth great comfort and strength following the death of their son Jack in 2008.

A gifted musician, Adam loved to sing and was an accomplished pianist. He was a huge fan of superhero movies and BYU sports, and spent most fall weekends with his family and friends watching or attending BYU football games. He will be remembered for his kind and generous heart, gentile loving nature and witty personality. More than anything else, however, Adam was completely devoted to his wife and children.

We invite everyone to celebrate in Adam’s life by attending his viewing to be held on Friday, January 18, 2019 from

5:30-9:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 7670 S. Bruce Street, Las Vegas, NV 89123.  Funeral services for Adam will be held the following day, Saturday, January 19th at 10:00 am at the same location.