Kerry Adams Johnson, 84, of Woburn, Mass., passed away at home on March 16, 2025, with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and beloved grandson at his side.

Kerry was born the son of Samuel G. Johnson and Martha Harvey Johnson on December 29, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he lived until age nine during which he became a huge fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, attending many games at Ebbetts Field. His family moved to Wantagh, Long Island, N.Y. where he lived
until attending college. A high honors student at Wantagh High School, he enrolled at Gettysburg College, where he was an outstanding varsity soccer player for four years. He graduated with honors in 1962, after which he spent several years teaching math in Whitehall, N.Y., and on Long Island. Kerry’s love for learning led him to earn a MS in math at Queens College, N.Y. Ever the sportsman, he spent his summers surfing in California. Eager to travel and learn about other parts of the world, he secured a faculty appointment in Math at the American School of the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He spent five adventure-filled years in Lebanon, traveling as much as he could — to Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, the U.S.S.R., Greece, Egypt and several other countries. He was a student of the world, brimming with an open-minded curiosity and insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Returning to the U.S., he gained admission to Syracuse University in New York and in keeping with his keen interest in education, undertook a Ph.D. in adult learning and instructional design. That fall, he was appointed to the faculty at the University of Maryland’s College of Education, where he taught until he was appointed director of the Adult Learning Institute. In that position, he developed innovative learning methods and materials.

Kerry’s ancestral roots include Samuel Adams, a founding father of the United States, John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the U.S., Albert Gallatin, the longest serving secretary of the Treasury and founder of New York University, and the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, inventors and builders of the world’s first successful airplane. It is from these roots that Kerry made his own significant mark upon the world and in every community in which he lived, giving of himself in service to others however he was able. To all who have known Kerry, they have been the recipients of the beautiful gift of his life that always extended beyond himself in genuine care.

In late 1986 he met the woman who would become his wife, Sally V. Holm, a producer at ABC News, while on business in New York City. He moved to the NYC in 1988, starting a new career in management consulting, and they were married in Waterford, Maine, on May 6, 1989. While living in NYC, they adopted their daughter, Wynne. In 1995, eager to raise her in a more manageable locale, Kerry accepted a promotion in his company, and they moved to the Boston area. They lived in Andover, Mass., for 18 years while raising their daughter. Kerry became an international consultant for the Forum Corporation, traveling abroad and domestically for most of those years.

In 2013, upon Kerry’s retirement, he and Sally realized a long-held dream of moving to Maine, where they had a small lakeside cottage. Settling in the tiny, historic village of Waterford in a 200-year-old farmhouse, they went to work putting in extensive vegetable and flower gardens, hiked and paddled, and indulged in the wonderful, small-town life of a loving community. Their lives were full of friends and music, one of Kerry’s most passionate interests. When his grandson, Gabriel, was born in 2015, the “little guy” became the center of their lives and the source of so much joy. Kerry eagerly looked forward to the birth of his granddaughter Harper Kerry, due in June.

Kerry was diagnosed with ALS in 2024 which led to their decision to move to Woburn, Mass., to be close to their daughter and to his doctors at MGH.

Kerry is survived by his wife Sally V. Holm, his daughter Wynne Johnson-Ghiozzi, his son-in-law Robert (Bobby) Ghiozzi, his grandson “Gabey,” his brother Richard H. Johnson and his wife Janet, sister Cynthia Johnson Rossini and her husband Donald, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents and his brother Russell H. Johnson.

He also leaves behind legions of friends and colleagues who held him in high regard.

A celebration of Kerry’s life is planned for Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. at the Waterford Congregational Church, 15 Plummer Hill Road, Waterford, to be followed by a reception at the Wilkins Community House next door to the church. A private burial at Elm Vale Cemetery in South Waterford will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Kerry’s honor may be made to the American School in Beirut at giving.aub.edu.lb/ kjohnson, or the Waterford Congregational Church in Waterford, ME, PO Box 59, Waterford, ME 04088 or wccucc.com/donate.

To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence on Kerry’s tribute page, visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.