In Memoriam: Jack Johnson
July 8, 2024
Modified from the original post at nwmls.com.
The Seattle King County REALTORS® is saddened by the passing of Jack Johnson, former President and CEO of NWMLS. Jack passed away on June 21 at the age of 83.
“Jack was an acknowledged leader in the real estate industry," said Seattle King County REALTOR® CEO Russ Hokanson. “He was a mentor to me. He brought people together, not only in the way he guided the phenomenal growth of NWMLS, but also in the way he forged partnerships with the REALTOR® associations of the Puget Sound region for the benefit of our industry. He left quite a legacy.”
Johnson served as President and CEO of Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) since its inception. Before then he held similar titles with two other organizations that ultimately became part of NWMLS.
From 1975–1979, he was the Executive Vice President of the Tacoma-Pierce Association of REALTORS® and the local multiple listing service in that area. In 1979, Johnson left Tacoma to become the Executive Vice President of the North End Brokers Association (NEBA).
In 1984, four multiple listing services in King and Snohomish counties merged to become the Puget Sound Multiple Listing Association (PSMLA), and Jack became its President and CEO. Under his leadership, PSMLA eventually merged with three other MLSs to form NWMLS. At the time of his retirement, NWMLS had grown to be the largest full-service multiple listing service in the Northwest, with close to 30,000 members in 19 counties throughout Western and Central Washington.
During the 30+ years that he served a rapidly changing industry that was deeply important to him, Johnson was credited with helping to implement many programs to revolutionize the function of multiple listing services, both regionally and nationally.
At his request, a private family celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests that memorial gifts in his honor be made to:
EvergreenHealth Foundation, 12040 NE 128th St, MS#5, Kirkland, WA 98034-3098, or visit: www.evergreenhealthfoundation.com to support the "hospice" program.