Erik Johnson, known as E.J., 49, had been at Baker High for 25 years

Although he didn’t feel well Monday, and hadn’t been for sometime,

Erik Johnson spent the day at Baker High School, helping students.

Johnson, 49, was found dead at his home Tuesday morning by fellow

teacher Dave Johnson. The cause of death was an “acute gastrointestinal

hemorrhage,” said Dr. James Davis, Baker County medical examiner. He

said it appeared that Erik Johnson died Monday night.

Dr. Davis said Erik’s brother, Scott, told him Erik had been feeling nauseous and hadn’t been eating well for several months.

“He said he’d been after Erik for quite a while to go see a doctor,” Davis said.

Johnson, known as E.J. to staff and students, was in his 25th year

teaching math and health classes at BHS. During his tenure he also was

an assistant baseball and football coach and served as head basketball

and head track coach.

Dave Johnson, who also teaches math and is head football coach, said

he and Erik walked out of the high school together for the last time

Monday about 4:20 p.m.

Although he had been sick earlier Monday, Erik finished his work day and had spent extra time helping students before heading home, Dave Johnson said.

“That’s typical Erik,” Dave said. “He was a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstrap kind of guy.”

Also typical was Erik’s heart for helping students.

“He loved kids,” Dave Johnson said. “He stayed extra all the time for anybody. It didn’t matter if they were in his class or not. He put in hours and hours helping them learn health concepts and math concepts and even dealing with their own difficulties and tragedies.”

Monday Erik helped BHS students cope with the loss of classmate Kayla Petty, who died Friday in a car crash.

The staff had gathered at the school early Monday, the first day back after spring break, to begin strategizing how to best help students and staff deal with their grief over Petty’s death, Jerry Peacock, BHS principal said today.

Space then was offered for staff and students to gather to talk, reminisce and express their grief.

“We create an environment where we can provide support to staff and students,” Peacock said.

And, as much as possible, a normal routine is maintained, he said.

A similar process was repeated Tuesday after school officials learned of Erik Johnson’s death.

When Erik didn’t report for work Tuesday morning and hadn’t called in sick, Dave Johnson went to his friend’s 17th Street home.

Police Chief Wyn Lohner said an officer was dispatched to Johnson’s home at 9:53 a.m. An initial determination was made that Erik Johnson had died from “natural causes related to illness,” Lohner said.

“He, like everyone, had come to school too many times when he didn’t feel well to help kids,” Dave Johnson said.

Unlike the recent deaths of teachers Sue Lindley and Marla Cavallo, who died after extended battles with cancer, there was no time to prepare for losing Johnson, Peacock said.

“There is still a lot of shock, but at the same time people are picking up the pieces and moving forward,” he said.

The BHS baseball, softball and tennis teams played Tuesday night in home competition. The softball and baseball players dedicated the first games of their doubleheaders to Erik Johnson.

“He never missed a season,” said Dan Blankenship, head baseball coach, whom Johnson served under as a volunteer JV coach in 2007. “The kids just wanted to get a win for him.”

Peacock said that although there was some discussion of canceling the games, he thinks Johnson would have been offended by the suggestion.

“Baker High School was Erik Johnson’s life,” Peacock said. “This is what he did.”

Johnson was head track coach from 1987 to 2005. During that time, the girls team won the district championship in 1988 and from 1991-1996 and again from 1998 -2001. The boys teams took the district title from 1996 -1999. Johnson also had served as JV football coach since the mid-1980s and was head boys basketball coach from 1989-1991.

“He loved teaching and he loved coaching. This is what he lived to do,” Peacock said.

In the coming days, the district will look at how best to fill Johnson’s teaching position.

“Once the shock wears off it really comes back to the fact that we have to pick up the pieces and do what’s right for kids,” Peacock said.

Students in the BHS Leadership Class served breakfast today to the staff, several of whom attended BHS. The breakfast gave the staff an opportunity to visit and talk about Johnson and the shock of his death and to address the grieving process.

“I’m constantly in awe of the resiliency of my kids and my staff,” Peacock said. “We have been through tough times before and we will go through tough times again, and we’ll come out in the end better people,” he said.

Gerry Steele of the Baker City Herald contributed to this story.