Duane Johnson began visiting Cannon Beach in 1955 when he was 12 years old and his family was staying in a cabin owned by a friend. In 1972, Duane and his wife Cheryl purchased a small cabin in Cannon Beach when his oldest son, Michael, was 4 years old. We spend most of our weekends at coastal resorts.
After Duane and Cheryl decided to have another baby, they ended up having more than they expected. The triplets arrived the year after we purchased the beach cabin. In 1978, they decided to sell their Portland home and become full-time residents of Cannon Beach, where they lived together for almost 20 years until Duane’s father passed away at age 92.
While living in Portland, Duane worked for several years in the mortgage business at First National Bank, and after moving to the coast, he spent his first year working at Ticor Title. Duane obtained his real estate license and began working at North Coast Properties. Duane later became a partner in the firm. After working for North Coast Properties for over 10 years, Duane struck out on his own in 1990 and founded Duane Johnson Real Estate.
Invoking loyalty and lasting relationships, Mr. Duane said he and the other Duane Johnson brokers were “like family.” We helped each other out and ate pizza together in the office every Wednesday afternoon. When we met for pizza, it was supposed to be about business, but we ended up talking about whatever we wanted to do. ”
Jeff Etchison, who has worked with Duane for more than 25 years, said: “Duane was one of my mentors and I learned a lot from him. His approach was to allow us to be our own bosses and be self-directed; Duane told us to be consistent, honest, and value our community. He challenged us to be advisors, not salespeople. Jeff said Duane has four full-time real estate agents who work with him. He said he believed it was best to have a core group of real estate agents and fewer real estate agents so that all agents could make a good living. ”
Duane sold his real estate business in summer 2019, but remained involved with the company for another four years until August 2023. Mr. Duane, who turned 80 in January, finally decided it was time to retire from his job to spend more time playing.
Duane’s wife, Cheryl, owned and operated Geppetto’s Toy Shop on Hemlock Street for 35 years until 2017. Currently, his son David owns and operates Furtano’s His Pizza on 2nd Her Street in Cannon Beach.
Duane served on the school board for 22 years (12 years as chairman) and spent 20 years as a volunteer with the Cannon Beach Fire District. He currently serves on the Clatsop County Ambulance Advisory Committee (for five years) and the school district’s three-member Fair Dismissal Appeals Committee (for 15 years). While modest about his generous contributions and volunteer work to the community, Duane said he feels a sense of loyalty and does it because he wants to contribute to the community and help people.
Duane and Cheryl love Cannon Beach and feel lucky to have lived here for many years. Looking back, Duane said, the summer crowds of the city would leave after Labor Day weekend, she said. The weekend after Labor Day was a huge community-wide party, and apart from a few holiday days and spring break, the town didn’t see large numbers of tourists again until the following summer. Looking back on his 43 years in the local real estate business, Duane said what he cherishes most are the people he has met and the personal relationships he has built with his many clients.
When asked what he plans to do after his retirement, Duane said that in addition to enjoying and driving his classic car collection (his favorite is a 1937 Buick), he has four children ranging in age from 10 to 27 and six He said he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren. .
Duane added, “If anyone wants to talk about cars and see a bunch of old stuff along with my old cars, I’d love to show them my collection.” To contact Duane, text 503-939-2611.
Duane, thank you for all you do for this community. There’s something fulfilling about knowing he lived his life authentically and achieved success in the process. You are humble and not one to voice your opinions. We wave when you drive past in your classic car. You’ll see that you’re enjoying every moment of your drive. If you drive by, please honk your horn and wave. thank you for your hard work!