Peter Gunnard Johnson

On Friday, December 29, 2023, Peter Gunnard Johnson, 93, passed away at Ashleigh at Lansdowne, in Leesburg, VA. He was the son of the late Gunnard Eric Johnson, and the late Ingeborg Persson. They came to the USA from Sweden in 1923 and 1924 respectively. They met and were married here and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa. where Peter was born on Sept. 19, 1930. Peter was raised in the local community of Wilkinsburg, Pa. where he graduated from High School in 1948. He then graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1952 with a BS. degree in Physics.

He was employed by the Westinghouse Electric Corp. and worked at the Bettis Atomic Power Plant in West Mifllin, Pa. He was employed as a Scientist and worked in their Critical Reactor Facilities where he was involved in the construction and operation of experimental critical reactors. His work included the measurement of nuclear parameters used in nuclear design calculations. The purpose of these experiments was to obtain experimental nuclear data to confirm the validity of nuclear design models used to design both Naval and later Commercial full scale operating power plants.

Later, when continued experimental critical operations were no longer considered necessary, he was assigned to the Bettis Reactor School training project where lesson materials were developed to support Naval Reactor Schools which trained and qualified Naval personnel who operated rector power plants on Naval ships.

In May of 1957 he married Dorothy Gray. They had 3 children, daughter, Linda, born in 1961, daughter, Sharon, born in 1963, and son, Eric, born in 1965.

He retired from Bettis in 1991. In 2006 he moved to Fauquier County, Va., and purchased a home in a Senior Housing Development in the area known as Vint Hill, and later moved into his daughter, Sharon's house. Services for Peter will be private at the family's convenience. Online condolences may be made at www.geiple.com.