Danjohnston949, a.k.a Dan Johnston, Fargo ND

[Huskee]

In Loving Memory of everyone's favorite "backyard cremator", Dan Johnston.

Dan passed away in February 2019. He was always good for a humorous post and kind word. No one had more trouble posting here with their iPad or used more emojis in a post than Dan! Dan sat for a PitCast interview with Greg Rempe in July of 2017, and that hilarious interview can be found here, give it a listen, you will enjoy it!

Best wishes to his family from all of us here, he will be greatly missed here!

[HawkerXP]

Amen to that. Good man gone to soon.

[Mr. Bones]

Ain't no way words can ever convey jus what I'm feelin, so I'll leave off tryin.

Jus wanna say, Rest Easy, Cuz!

[Skip]

I met him in person a couple times. Dan and Eunice came to the BBQ Spring Training at The U of MN in St Paul MN and I met up with him at NDSU BBQ Boot Camp in Fargo ND last year. He was a lot of fun! RIP Dan!

[RonB]

He will be sorely missed. 😢

[JOE E]

Rip.

[RickyBobby]

I always enjoyed reading Dan’s posts. I never met him personally, but I have no doubt he was a guy you would want to stand around a cooker with! In addition to being the self proclaimed Backyard Cremator from Fargo, his other signature tag line, Eat Well and Prosper, always made me smile. Rest easy, brother!

[ecowper]

I loved reading Dan's posts and comments. I'm going to miss him telling me to Eat Well, and Prosper.

[ecowper]

Rest in Peace my favorite Backyard Cremator ... you will be missed around the Pit

[gcdmd]

This is something I read over a comatose friend and cooking partner during the final hours of his life and later at his celebration of life. I wish I could have read it for Dan. It somehow seems to fit him. I didn't write it myself but would like to credit a poet named Carolyn Brunelle and also St. Paul.

Life is a matter of choices made at every fork in the road, and none made for an easy way to carry or lighten the load. But I’ve been strong, carried on through the fog of life, able to say I fought the good fight, did my very best, triumphed over my fears and laid them all to rest. I’ve made my share of mistakes, but by my choices I still stand, for in all my chosen paths, there’s always been God’s hand reaching out to guide and comfort in each and every day, and in all my darkest hours, that grace has shone the way.

For I am already being poured out like a libation to the Lord, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

[Troutman]

2Timothy 4:6, a beautiful passage and one I dearly love. Thank you for that brother, it was very appropriate.

[RickyBobby]

+1 to Troutman .

[Spinaker]

I am very sorry to hear this. Dan was a very good man, with a wonderful heart. He was one of the very first people I conversed with in The Pitmaster Club, back in 2014. He was always positive, welcoming and showed a genuine interest in what I was doing. Sure his posts were a bit goofy at times, but that is part of what made Dan who he was. I was also fortunate enough to talk to him quite a few times, over the phone. And every time he was nothing but happy and filled with laughter. I will always remember Dan for what he brought to all of us, a huge smile. Every time I saw one of his posts, it made me smile.

Dan and Eunice would send me little gifts every once in a while. Out of the blue! Their generosity and kindness knew no bounds. I must admit, I was always a little leery of opening the box, because I never knew what I would find. Sometimes it would be a cast iron cook book, Grill Pinz, oven gloves, smoking wood, news paper articles or some other BBQ related item. One time he sent me some steel folding traps for "Those DAMN bird-sized mosquitos" that we have here in Minnesota. I still have them, they hang on the wall in my BBQ room, next to some old vintage pans that I know Dan would enjoy seeing. Every time I look at those traps hanging in my BBQ room, I chuckle. Now when I look at those traps hanging on my wall, I may feel some sorrow, but I know that Dan's good humor and warm heart is what they really mean to me.

I am surely going to miss seeing him in The Pitmaster Club. He was a good man and one that can never be replaced. Unfortunately, they don't make them like Dan anymore. He was a true gem.

Smoke on my friend, you will be terribly missed.

[CaptainMike]

Beautiful tribute John. Forget the sorrow when you look at those traps, only joy and laughter, that's what The Cremator meant!

[lonnie mac]

Spinaker brother I am sure he would be! I think it is hilarious! Same thing I would do. I sent him these grill pinz along with the B Day hat, and two guitar picks, and a bottle of Hurricane Harvey water.

[smokinfatties]

So well put, Spin!

[Jerod Broussard]

I will always remember Dan for what he brought to all of us, a huge smile.

IMPOSSIBLE to read his posts without smiling. Loved his full screen weather reports, the bird mutts....loved it all. Stinks to be typing this.

[Spinaker]

Don;t forget about his "Basement Diving" escapade! The man had a way with words, my friend.

[ribeyeguy]

When I first joined here I couldn't locate the first post I'd made. I don't remember exactly how but Dan helped me find it and then walked me through the ins and outs of the board.

Dan and I bought Weber Performers at roughly the same time. We both enjoyed messaging each other about our cooks and our learning curves.

Just recently we were discussing his Model T. I have what I believe is an old Model T alignment kit that he really wanted to see. I was planning on sending it to him as a surprise but now it's obviously not going to happen.

He loved his dogs that he always referred to as "chit bird mutts" but you knew that he loved them. Just like he loved his wife Eunice even though he always said that he "owned" her.

This is by far the best site on the internet but with Dan gone it'll be a bit less of a Pit. Not to sound sappy but I for one am really going to miss him.

[Spinaker]

You are not alone, brother. We will all miss him. :/

[RickyBobby]

+1 to what Spinaker said.

[Troutman]

You guys were a lot closer and knew him better than I did. Somehow he took me under his wing even in the short time I knew him. He would LIKE every post I made, I mean sometimes I’d log in and there would be 9-10 Dan likes, even for the silliest of them. It got to be I’d actually look forward to them.

And then they stopped....and I knew something was wrong....and now he’s gone. I only wish I could be missed as much as he. He touched a lot of lives, but I know I’ll somehow see another final post from him again. His spirit will live on as a true legend of the Pit. I confirm that status unto him.

[ecowper]

Dan the Backyard Cremator will live on forever .... he is legendary. I hope he knows that. I hope someone tells Eunice what a legend he is in the Pit.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I haven't been around here long, but I could tell from the posts he had from the time I joined that he was a good dude. I know that like a select few around here, you could tell who it was without seeing his avatar or forum name. Best wishes for his wife and family for sure. I suppose the only thing I can do in his memory is attempt a protein I have problems with. Wheteher I burn it or succeed I'll know it was his will

[Huskee]

especially if you cremate it!

[Huskee]

A year or two ago Dan made a comment about a particular BBQ accessory that he wanted to get his hands on so I thought it'd be nice to send him one, anonymously. But I couldn't send it anonymously because I needed to know his mailing address...so I had to ask him. And of course he was quick to offer it and wanted to know why, if I was coming to visit or something, so I told him I wanted to send him a little something to show my appreciation for him and his cheerful presence here.

About 2 weeks after I sent it to him there's a mysterious box that shows up at my house. My wife says "who do we know from Fargo ND?" Lol! "Dan Johnston!" I said.

That stinker couldn't let me send him a gift w/o a return gift. The box was addressed in large letters to "Mrs Huskee". In the box on the gift is a note that says 'this gift is for Mrs Huskee for putting up with Huskee' or something to that effect I forget the exact wording. My wife got a kick outta that. He cracked me up.

In honor of Dan here's a slew of emojis that I know he'd have loved seeing since that was his trademark.😀 😁 😂 🤣 😃 😄 😅 😆 😊 😎

[jecucolo]

Yeah seeing a bunch of emojis on a post meant Dan was on the Pit. No one quite does emojis like he did.

[troymeister]

That is an awesome story!!

[FireMan]

And now we have
MsTwiggy ! Yessir!