Johnny Johnson

Obituary of Johnny J. Johnson

Johnny was born on May 7, 1953, in Chehalis, Washington, to Herchel and Pearl Johnson and grew up on their farmland, in the country, just off Hwy 12. Johnny graduated from Napavine High School, went on to get his associate’s degree from Centralia Community College, and then went to the University of Washington for a year. Later, he went to The Evergreen State College and earned his bachelor’s degree. At 16, Johnny began working with his father doing local and distance moving jobs for Mayflower Moving and Storage. He worked for a couple of years for Capital Beverage, delivering beer and wine, but finally settled in with Yellow Freight, where he worked until he retired. Intermittently, he owned several small businesses and built a sizable Amway Distributorship. He was a hard worker. Johnny played basketball in high school and always loved the sport, and was a huge Supersonics fan when the franchise was in Seattle. When his father was alive, he would play golf and was a Mariners fan. He also was a huge Seahawks fan and a Huskies Fan. Over the years he enjoyed fishing and duck hunting. He was an accomplished poker player, an avid reader, and was quite good at writing. He especially loved to travel and explore new places. He loved the water and the beach. He loved dogs, especially his recent dog, Chappy, a little black miniature schnauzer, and his “grandpuppy,” Theo, a German shepherd/rottweiler mix. Johnny was a people person – never met a stranger. He loved to talk but was a great listener. He always “rooted for the underdog.” He was a prankster and very creative at it. He enjoyed all of his friendships, and there have been many. If you talked with Johnny, Tali his daughter, who he loved and was very proud of, or Katie, “the love of his life” (as he would put it), would almost always come up in the conversation. Johnny was a man of faith and God, prayed a lot, and loved to serve and help people. He had a huge heart. We are comforted knowing he is resting in God’s care now. He has not “passed away,” rather he has “passed on” to a place where we will all see him again, in God’s perfect timing. He was blessed with a full life and will be missed. The following information was published in The Chronicle on Saturday, May 5, 2018, and The Olympian on Sunday, May 6, 2018: Johnny passed in his sleep on April 24, 2018. He was born and raised in Lewis County and was a Lacey, Washington, resident for over 30 years. He was a great father, husband and son. He was loyal, kind, fun-loving and hard working. He always had a kind word and a story to tell. He is survived by his daughter, Tali Smith and her husband, Justin; his mother, Pearl Johnson; his aunt, Cora Mortensen; and his wife of over 34 years and best friend, Katie. Please come say goodbye, remember, and celebrate with us at a Celebration of Life, June 2, 2018, 1:00 p.m. at the Lacey Senior Center and Park on Pacific Ave. in Lacey. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s, Union Gospel Mission, or the American Heart Association. Please leave memories of Johnny or condolences for his family in the Guestbook below.
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Please come say goodbye, remember, and celebrate with us at a Celebration of Life, June 2, 2018, 1:00 p.m. at the Lacey Senior Center and Park on Pacific Ave. in Lacey. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s, Union Gospel Mission, or the American Heart Association.
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