Former Hope Island fire chief, La Conner newspaper man Miles Johns dies

There was a time, a generation ago, when Miles Johns was truly a man about town, involved in just about every possible civic project in and around La Conner.

The only time he was in the dark, it seemed, was while on the job at the old Channel Town Press, where he was its darkroom technician and commercial printer, two skills – like so many over the course of his life – that were largely self-taught.

Johns died last week in Anacortes, a passing that was deeply felt in the La Conner area, where he was remembered for his multiple roles as a fire chief, emergency medical technician, photojournalist and champion of local causes ranging from the fine arts to youth sports.

“What impressed me most about Miles,” said Skagit County Fire District 13 Chief Roy Horn, “was he used to study constantly. He always stayed up to date with the latest information and was willing to share that information. He was a real team player.”

Horn and Fire District 13 Chief-designate Wood Weiss said that when Johns served as chief of the Hope Island Fire Department one of his most effective leadership traits was a willingness to show confidence in new firefighters.

“The big thing I got from him,” Weiss said, “is that he would bring you up to the front right away and not just have you hang back when you were starting out. He developed a very inclusive atmosphere.”

Johns not only served for more than two years as the department head but was a hands-on firefighter who also certified as an EMT.

“He was a good EMT, a good chief and a good firefighter,” said Weiss. “He watched out for me.”

Horn agreed.

“He was a very dedicated fire chief,” Horn said. “He took it very serious.”

Horn and Weiss said Johns set the tone at emergency scenes by always projecting a cool, calm demeanor.

“When you went on a call,” said Weiss, “you always wanted Miles there.”

Johns was there for his three sons, as well, taking an active interest in their varied pursuits.

One of them, Zach Johns, took up mountaineering due in great part to the influence of his dad, older brother Josh Johns said Tuesday.

Josh Johns said he, like so many others, was impressed by his dad’s versatility.

“He was able,” said Johns, “to pick up a lot of things and do really well at them.”

A case in point was when in middle age he went into newspapering, working alongside his then-wife Patti Johns, the general manager of the Channel Town Press.

“It was amazing how quickly he was able to learn the printing business,” said that paper’s graphic artist, Cindy Vest, and now the Weekly News production manager. “Miles was great to work with and became a friend.”

Josh Johns, now with family in Mexico, said on Tuesday he is in the process of drafting his dad’s obituary and will return next month to La Conner, where his mom, Linda Seales, is a longtime resident, to make plans for a memorial service.

“This,” he said, “has been a tough loss to take.”

Countless others feel the same.

“Miles,” said Weiss, “is definitely going to be missed by a lot of people.”