The man who could be called Pocatello’s biggest and most enthusiastic supporter, who seemed to be omnipresent at every business grand opening and community event, who served his community whenever and wherever possible, has passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Jim Johnston died Tuesday morning at the age of 82.

To say Johnston was well known in the Gate City would be a massive understatement. He was a respected community icon, a friend to many, and had the ear of governors, university presidents and the state’s top business leaders.

“Jim was the consistently most enthusiastic person I have ever known,” said Rick Cheatum, a Pocatello City Council member and state lawmaker. “Pocatello and Idaho State University have never had such a great cheerleader and promoter. He will be dearly missed by our community and by me.”

Johnston served on the Pocatello City Council for many years, was a well-known member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and won every accolade that Pocatello had to offer, including the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizen and Lifetime Achievement awards.

Matt Hunter, the president and CEO of the Pocatello-Chubbuck chamber, said it best when he wrote in a Tuesday email to chamber members that it would be hard to imagine not seeing Johnston at community events because he never missed his opportunity to show his support for Pocatello, its people and its businesses.

“As I think about Jim, I see the great impact that he had on so many members of our community with his kindness, generosity and desire to improve the lives of everyone that he came in contact with,” Hunter wrote. “He will be remembered as a great leader in our community.”

Johnston had many great qualities but his positivity became his trademark.

“When anyone asked how he was doing, he always enthusiastically said, ‘Fantastic!’ — and he was,” his obituary stated. “He was a deeply happy man and enjoyed life to the fullest with his cheerful personality.”

And perhaps the thing that Johnston was the most positive about was Pocatello.

“Working in the community brought great happiness to our father, as he thrived on being surrounded by other people who cared greatly for their community,” his obituary stated.

Johnston’s love for the Gate City was made even more notable by the fact that he wasn’t originally from here.

He was born and raised in Twin Falls where he worked on his family’s dairy farm until he went off to college.

Johnston graduated from the University of Idaho, where he was elected student body president.

U of I is also where Johnston met his wife.

“It was while at college our father met a darling blue-eyed blonde named Karen Sundrud from Ely, Nevada,” Johnston’s obituary stated. “He admired her courage and spunk. After graduating together, they were married a week later in the Salt Lake Temple on June 18, 1965.”

After college Johnston taught classes for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, Utah, and Canada before finding a city in Idaho that he would call home.

“In 1971 he moved to Pocatello to teach at the Institute of Religion adjacent to Idaho State University,” his obituary stated. “Jim and Karen found the city they knew they wanted to live in and remained in Pocatello permanently.”

Johnston became a Realtor in Pocatello and sold thousands of homes over the course of his career, earning him accolades locally, statewide and nationally.

He served on the Idaho State Historical Society board and was a huge supporter of Idaho State University, where he held several leadership positions.

Johnston was the creative force behind the university’s popular Welcome Back Orange and Black and Celebrate Idaho State events.

One could name any local organization and chances are pretty good that Johnston was not only a member of it but was likely its leader at some point.

He was a member and former director of Bannock Development, helping to bring new businesses to the Pocatello area. He helped quarterback the effort to erect the Chief Pocatello statue on South Fifth Avenue. He played a big part in the “Extreme Makeover” TV show’s construction of a house on South Eighth Avenue for a local family in need. He helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity and assisted Neighborworks Pocatello’s efforts to revitalize the community.

But those endeavors were just a snapshot of Johnston’s accomplishments.

“He was a founding member of Citizens Community Bank and President and Chairman of the Board. He was a founder and President of Gate City Rotary Club. He was President of the Pocatello Chamber of Commerce and a Pocatello Chief,” his obituary stated. “But of all his accomplishments and titles, Dad and Grandpa were his favorites.”

Johnston’s obituary said he died surrounded by his loved ones. He is survived by his wife Karen and their children Michael Johnston, Russell Johnston, Suzanne Hobbs, Eric Johnston, Greg Johnston and Jeff Johnston. Jim’s daughters Sherri Lynn Horsley and Kristie Wolff preceded him in death.

His obituary stated, “His 24 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren loved and adored their grandpa and will miss him very much.”

Johnston was also known for his exemplary selflessness and dedication to helping others as reflected in a story that his son Greg shared about his father.

Years ago, Jim Johnston entered and won a nationwide drawing for Realtors where the prize was a $10,000 trip to anywhere in the world.

“I was so happy for him,” Greg said. “But he told me a few days later that he did not accept the prize for the trip, but instead he asked the organization (that held the drawing) if they would donate $10,000 to the Pocatello Habitat for Humanity because he was helping to raise money for a local family that was having a home built.”

Instead of taking a dream vacation, Jim Johnston decided to use the money he won for a life-changing donation to a local family that needed a home.

“I think that exemplifies my dad by showing how he could have taken a week or two of his life to do something super fun but instead he donated that money to help a family have something for the rest of their life, to have a roof over their head,” Greg said. “He wanted to do something more long lasting, rather than just a quick, fun trip. How many people do you know that would give away $10,000 when they could have a dream vacation? Nobody does that, but my dad did. He wanted to make other people happy and do things like that. I don’t think he knew the (local family) very well. I think it was just a good cause that he was aware of and he wanted to help them out.”

Greg said that his father would always try to help people out any way he could.

“No matter what he was doing, he would take time to help out,” Greg said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re well known, a famous person or just someone he met, he would always take time to help out. That’s been a good lesson for me to make sure that we don’t overlook anyone, that we don’t think that we’re too special or too busy to give of our time to help someone, because we’re all people trying to get through this life and we all need a little bit of help.”

Greg continued, “It is amazing what a little act of kindness can do to lift someone’s day. My dad would always call them warm fuzzies. He said he wanted to give people warm fuzzies to make them happy and it was often just a kind word, a compliment or a small act of service that would make somebody’s day better.”

Jim’s faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a central part of his life and he held several leadership roles in the church.

“Dad touched the lives of so many and set a Christ-like example to those he served,” his obituary stated. “Because of his testimony of the Gospel and faith in the Atonement of our Savior, he truly taught us the meaning of being a child of God. We know that we will be reunited as a family once again.”

Johnston’s viewing will be held on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Colonial Funeral Home, 2005 S. 4th Ave. in Pocatello. On Saturday a viewing will also be held at the Pocatello Stake Center at 655 S. Grant Ave. at 10 a.m. and the formal services will begin at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Mountain View Cemetery.