Selah, WA - Charles (Wally) Johnson, age 97, of Selah, passed away on May 5, 2025. Wally was born on May 3, 1928, in Yakima, WA to Herbert and Frances (Peterson) Johnson. He lived nearly his entire life on a fruit ranch in Selah, which he owned and operated. He attended school in Selah, graduating in 1947, where he was a standout athlete. He went on to attend Oregon State College on an athletic scholarship and earned his B.S. degree in 1952. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

He married Shirley Jean Parker in Roseburg, Oregon, on October 7, 1951. Wally taught school in the Highland School District at Tieton and Cowiche before a long career at Hi-Country Foods during the years they produced Alhambra Wine. He remained there for 30 years, retiring in 1991.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley; two sons, Chuck and Jim; three grandchildren, Corey, Katie and Jamie; and three great grandchildren, Braxton, Kacen, and Otis. He will be cremated and his ashes scattered in the orchard outside the home where he spent nearly 97 years.

Wally will be remembered as a truly good man - kind, humble, honest, and dependable. He never raised his voice, yet he commanded quiet respect from everyone who knew him. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family and his wife of 73 years.