Marv Johnson likes to inspire others to be their best.

As a former educator, he’s always looking for ways people can see the goodness in life and find what matters most to them.

“I like helping people,” said Johnson, 91, who cherishes his Norwegian heritage.

A Tacoma native, Johnson grew up the youngest of nine kids, graduated from Stadium High School and spent three years in the Navy as an aviation/radioman. While attending Pacific Lutheran College (now Pacific Lutheran University), he decided on a career as a teacher and met his wife, Virginia, who also became an educator.

An elementary teacher in King and Pierce counties for 33 years, Johnson believed in getting kids out of the classroom to experience nature.

“One of the best places to learn about life is outside,” Johnson said. ” Kids need to see how we are all connected to the life around us and how it applies to them.”

Trips to the waterfront, local farms, parks and outdoor science activities kept students engaged and interested.

Transitioning from teacher to principal for 18 years allowed Johnson to pass along his philosophy to other educators.

“I thought I could impact kids more as a principal,” Johnson said. “Kids really bloomed with more music, theater programs, and we were even giving swimming lessons back then.”

After raising five of their own children and sharing nearly 60 years of marriage, Johnson and his wife discovered she had Alzheimer’s disease.

“Remember, Alzheimer’s is not their fault,” said Johnson, who lovingly visited his wife twice daily for eight years at a skilled nursing facility before she passed. “People should learn if there is a history of Alzheimer’s in their family, study up on it, and be as prepared as you can for yourself and others.”

Now at Village Green Retirement Campus, his home for over two years, Johnson appreciates the friendships he’s made and the many fitness activities in which he stays active. Daily morning walks and his Saturday seminars at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood keep him physically and spiritually fit. Attending his men’s Bible study for 19 years keeps him deeply connected to his faith.

Johnson says the best developments in his lifetime include the invention of the microchip and the space program, and he notes that celebrating birthdays is a gift.

“Age is actually irrelevant,” Johnson said. “I think it’s important to ask yourself, ‘What can I do for others?’

“Be active. You have to have hope for the future.”

At Village Green, Johnson can still often be heard making his mark on youth.

“I sometimes ask the serving staff if they plan on going to college or furthering their education. I like to put a spark in their mind about what’s possible and give them hope.”