John Edward Johnson Jr.

Dr. John Edward Johnson Jr. passed away in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. Celebration of life: 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, in the Longhorn Ballroom at Trinity Terrace, 1600 Texas St., Fort Worth, with a reception following. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the NTUUC (North Texas Unitarian Universalist Congregations), Attention: John E. Johnson Fund for Social Justice, in care of First Unitarian Church of Dallas, 4015 Normandy, Dallas, Texas 75205. Born in 1925 in Galveston, John spent his childhood in Mineral Wells before attending the University of Texas in Austin where he graduated at the age of 19. He earned his M.D. degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he remained for internship and residency in internal medicine. He spent two years in San Antonio in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. During medical school he married the love of his life, Mary Shirley Jimmerson, and together they had seven children. After teaching at UTMB Galveston, John spent six years at William S. Merrell Co. in Cincinnati where he was instrumental in developing the first fertility drug brought to market. He came to Fort Worth as the medical director of Alcon Laboratories in 1969 and joined the Fort Worth Clinic in 1972. Although he had never planned to have a private practice, he discovered a love for being a primary care physician and developed close relationships with his patients, making house calls long after this was common practice. During this time he served his profession and the community in many ways: chief of medicine of Harris Methodist Hospital, chair and member of the Harris Ethics Committee, Texas Medical Directors Association, Lighthouse for the Blind, and served on boards and committees too numerous to count for the betterment of medicine in Fort Worth and beyond. He retired from active practice in 1997, and devoted his time to social activism beside his wife, Shirley, where they both made great impact until their deaths. John touched so many people in so many ways; he will be remembered for making a difference in his community, his church, and on the many individual lives he touched. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Johnson; brothers, Willard Johnson and Morris Johnson; sister, Kay Griffin; son, Allen Charles Johnson; son, JEB Johnson, M.D.; and great-grandson and namesake, Isaiah John Edward Johnson. Survivors: Children, Meredith Donaldson (Joe), Anna Kay Johnson (John Watt), Susan Dycus, Michael Johnson (Kevin Stein) and Jamie Johnson; children by choice, Dorine VanRijssel, Walt Adams, Julie Fields; grandchildren, Susanna Donaldson, Andrew Donaldson, Marylee Donaldson, Jessie Watt, Joshua Johnson, Sarah Cherry-Gruener, Amy Jones, Jeremy Watt, Joshua Watt; five great-grandchildren; and a plethora of nieces and nephews across the country.