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BORN
1929
DIED
2015
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CHARLES JOHNSON Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for CHARLES JOHNSON
Sponsored by The Family.
CWJ Childhood Photo 1
Sandra Johnson
May 18, 2015
March 27, 2015
I am at a loss when I try to express how wonderful it has been to have had Charles in my life. We could not have known the impact he would have on us when Sandra brought him home to meet the family in Pine Bluff, Arkansas nearly 30 years ago. Since that time, he has and continues to be influential in my life. He was a great source of advice, a confidante, a traveling companion, a talking buddy, a financial advisor but most of all a loving big brother for me. But none of that matters as much as how I cherished the love he had for my sister. He loved everything about her and constantly praised her to others. He thought that all she did was wonderful. He would brag about her intelligence, charm, beauty, cooking, singing, playing piano, and housekeeping. He told us that he had a magic pantry. Whenever he looked for an item he wanted to eat or drink--Voila!--it was there. Sandra loved Charles and cared for him. She made sure he had what he enjoyed. Be it a meal, book, movie, trip or computer, she would get what Charles wanted. She would sometimes get him an electronic item or arrange a trip that he was reluctant about. Later on, that trip or item would become the best idea HE ever had! They were best friends and always had fun together.
His passing has left a hole in my heart. But my love for him and my memories of him will make it whole again.
Robin ( a loving sister-in-law)
Josie Thomas
March 21, 2015
The family is delighted to share these comments made by Charles'daughter, Josie J. Thomas, at his Celebration of Life Service.
A dear family friend of nearly 50 years, wrote to Dad posthumously this week and directed the letter to me and Norrene. In it, he referred to Dad as "a good man." He went on to say that "good.. is not the simple term referring to politeness but rather the truest and noblest term meaning a positive and shining example of good works...one whose chief aim in life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate , to count for something, to make it matter that you lived at all." He went on to thank dad for "living the committed life."
Today I stand here to also thank dad for living a committed life...for being there always, for loving us and helping us think things through....
For sharing his "thought process" and letting us know when he thought we were off course...for his consistency and preparation and explaining why we needed to arrive with the groundskeepers at the Denver broncos games in order to avoid the traffic. My confidence in his judgment was so complete that I did not question it even sitting there together in a near empty stadium...for feeling every Serena and Venus loss to the point where I would call Sandra when one of them lost and say "is Dad ok?"
For making each one of his daughters feel special as if they had a unique relationship with him,
and for encouraging me to get into the stock market and then review my finances with me...loved those spreadsheets he would send quarterly and the time we would spend going over them.
And just a week or so before he died looking at the latest shots of Lucy and Ella and saying "will you look at that." Of course, I didn't leave him much of an option since I always wanted us to go through each picture once if not twice and there are some in this room that know exactly what I mean.
He said to me that he knows how much I'm enjoying being in grandmother but to make sure that I did not have a favorite...that each grandchild would bring me equal joy in their own unique way so there he was teaching me to be the same type of grand parent that he was a parent for he truly treated each one of us as special in our own way. He made each one of us an integral part of his daily life. We each truly felt that we had a unique and special relationship with him...thanks, Dad.
March 17, 2015
I HAD THE PRESURE OF MEETING CHUCK WHEN HE WAS HONEYWELL INC.(CORPORATE OFFICE). I WAS THE TREASURER FOR MATRIX (A GROUP FROM DEFENSE). WE HAD CHUCK COME AND SPEEK TO OUR GROUP. WHEN EVER I CALL CHUCK HE WAS DELIGHTED TO COME AND HE ALWAY TOOK ME TO DINNER PLACES LIKE MURRAY'S STEAK HOUSE (DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS) THE CALHOUN BEACH CLUB ON LAKE CALHOUN (MINNEAPOLIS). HE WAS A GREAT GUY.....HE WILL BE MISSED....
Mahmoud El-Kati
March 9, 2015
The family is delighted to share this message from Mahmoud El-Kati, a cherished friend from Minneapolis.
2.25.15
Dear Chuck
This is the letter that I should have written to you or that chat that I should have had with you a long time ago. As fate would have it, neither did I create an opportunity to visit you and Sandra since you left the Twin Cities.
Belatedly, let me say sincerely, at this uneasy time, if not directly to you, yet through you to others who pay homage to your fruitful life. As to this point, you are a good man. Please don't take that trite expression good man lightly, because I do not mean it in the usual sense of being goodish, as an expression of simple politeness. I mean it in the noblest and truest sense a positive and shinning example of good works. You possess the qualities that I most admire in human beings. They are empathy and respect for others who are not like you. You have at the peak of your success, shared your gifts, talents and resources with your peers as well as coming generations. I have been privileged to be a part of your generosity. I know a gaggle of persons in the Twin Cities who know you not, but who have been graced with your altruistic spirit and values. Your service to others is a grand example of the committed life. We will be forever grateful for the love that you have shared.
To have known you and your immediate family for nigh a half-century and I feel that I am a richer person because of this relationship. I define this relationship as a sacred moment in my life. You have bequeathed so many others and me a legacy to embrace and fulfill. This is not the end, but a new beginning. If there are decent, caring sensible human beings on this planet you are one of them. I thank you again for living the committed life.
Yours, in fraternal love,
Mahmoud El-Kati
A Salute to a Good Man Chuck Johnson
This chief aim in life is not simply to be happy, but the chief aim in life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate, to count for something, to make it matter that you lived at all.
Jacquelyne Camper
March 8, 2015
I did not have the pleasure of meeting. But I know for sure you made my cousin very very happy. Sandra God will take care of you!!!
Mark Scott
March 5, 2015
I remember seeing Mr Johnson at Honeywell. I could tell he was truly a gentleman and was so blessed to know him. I sincerely hope the Johnson
Family finds peace and comfort for sucha truly great man.
Mark R. Scott (Las Vegas, Summerlin)
Paula Ricketts-Chism
March 5, 2015
Many thoughts go out to you with deepest sympathy. May The Lord watch over and comfort you during the homecoming of your husband , father, uncle and friend. know that weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Tya Mathis
March 4, 2015
Helen Keller once said, "What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes part of us." Your entire family is in my thoughts and prayers each day. Mr. Charles was a great person and he will live on in our memories forever. Thank you for sharing him with us!
Stephen R. Lewis, Jr.
March 3, 2015
The family is delighted to submit this letter from Stephen R. Lewis, Jr., president emeritus of Carleton College regarding Charles' service on the board of trustees.
Remembering Chuck Johnson
Chuck Johnson was a trustee of Carleton for 23 years, including the first seven of my presidency, when he served on the executive committe. He was Vice Chairman for several years prior to his retirement from the board. He was a wonderful mentor to me and helped get me, and the College, through a number of difficult issues, as I know he had done for my predecessors as well.
One of the many gifts Chuck had was an ability to both put himself in another person's shoes and to convey to me what it was like to be on the other side of a conversation. He made me see things differently. He often did it through stories that were autobiographical. In coaching (and helping me coach) a talented Carleton staffer,he talked of how important it was for the person to move into a line responsibility and not remain as a staff person who expected her boss to run interference for her with other colleagues. He then talked about his own interest in moving to larger responsibilities at Honeywell, since he could see that his career could easily have been one of dead end staff positions, especially since, as an African American, he might be placed in publicly high-profile positions that were not ones of real responsibility and authority. He needed to get operating responsibility and experience, and so went after a number two position at a manufacturing facility where, he knew, the manager would be retiring in a couple of years. He got that first job, moved into line management, and ultimately came to head Honeywell's whole Industrial Systems business. While he was a man of very high principle, he was also a wise and savvy observer of organizational behavior and culture. And, he was willing to share his insights with me and with others he mentored.
One piece of advice Chuck gave me came during a conversation near the end of my first year at Carleton. I'd asked him to give me some feedback on how I might do my job more effectively. He said, in effect, you've been in positions where you were one person around the table, and when you had a point of view you expressed it well and forcefully. Now you're at the head of the table: if you express your views before you've heard from everyone else, you will shut down the conversation and you won't get the benefit of others' views. He then pointed to Ed Spencer, long time CEO of Honeywell, a Carleton board chair in the 1970s, and someone I had known for some time. Ed was always the smartest person in the room, said Chuck, but he always listened carefully to what others said before he expressed his own views or conclusions. He told me I should learn from Ed's example. It was among the best pieces of advice I received in my years at Carleton.
Chuck was wise, soft-spoken, articulate, tough-minded, and highly principled. He was a key voice on contentious issues that we faced both before and during my time at Carleton, from racial issues that inevitably arise on college campuses, to handling of sexual assault cases, to the divisive issue of divestment of companies who worked in South Africa. He read people very well, and was probably the most insightful of the trustees in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of my senior staff(to whom he also offered counsel from time to time). He was held in high regard universally by Carleton faculty and staff who knew and worked with him. I wanted his advice on anything that was important, and especially anything that was controversial. He never sought the limelight, but it was clear that other trustees who exercised leadership on the board valued, and sought, his advice and counsel on critical issues as much as I did.
After Chuck married Sandra, he indicated that twenty-three years on the board was plenty, and asked us to accept his decision not to continue. While I certainly respected his decision, I knew I would be losing one of the wisest voices on the board. Chuck served during 1998-99 as acting president of Fisk, his alma mater, on whose board he'd served and also chaired. He later told me that he'd applied what he'd learned about colleges from his time on the Carleton board to the work he and Sandra did during their year at Fisk. Chuck was always learning, and always willing to share what he'd learned with others.
What a great friend, and an exceptionally wise and good man, we lost with his passing. I don't think we will see his like again.
Stephen R. Lewis, Jr.
February 26, 2015
Marcia Dixon
February 28, 2015
My prayers are with the entire family. I pray that God's arms will comfort you in this time of need.
Marcia Dixon
Doug & Carola
February 28, 2015
We will deeply miss Charles, who gave us wise advice on so many issues. His humanity was exemplary, drawn from the experiences of his long, rich life. And every time we spoke, he found a way to say again how fortunate he was to have married Sandra, showing all in his fold how much he loved her. We'll carry his wisdom and kindness with us always. What a gift to have known him! -- Doug Unger & Carola Raab
February 28, 2015
Charles was truly the man described by Kipling in his poem If. I was his junior high, high school, and Fisk University classmate. Charles evolved, but his true values remained. He was always the same friend to us all. I shall miss him and our long telephone conversations.
Bryant B. Williams, '47 Wheatley High and '51 Fisk University
February 28, 2015
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Charles. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sandra and the family.
Bryant and Janice Williams
Stockton, CA
Barbara Conyers-Cook
February 27, 2015
My thought and prayers are with you and you family, Soror Johnson.
Sisterly Love and Blessings,
Soror Barbara Conyers-Cook
ALLEGRA McCullough
February 27, 2015
Charles was truly a gentleman in manners and spirit. It was a blessing to know him. May God continue to bless his family.
February 27, 2015
Prayers of comfort and strength to you and your family. Gods blessings always.
Denise and Geneva Dowdy
Sharon Dawson
February 27, 2015
Sandra,
Our love, prayers and condolences are with you and your family during this very difficult time.
Sharon & Kyle
Carolyn Williams Meza
February 27, 2015
My heartfelt sympathy to Charles' wife and family. Charles Johnson was a mentor and friend when I worked at Honeywell. He will always be remembered as a wise and accomplished person that was respected by so many. Charles is now resting in eternal peace.
Cheryl Hudson
February 27, 2015
Our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of Charles Johnson. He left a wonderful legacy that will always be cherished. Keep his memory alive by inspiring the next generation and telling them of his greatness. May God comfort your hearts and bring you peace at this difficult time. Mack Family and Winton families you are in my thoughts and prayers. The Hudson Family
Brother and Sister, Dancing with the Stars!
Allison Johnson
February 26, 2015
February 26, 2015
May God continue to comfort you during this time.,Donna Jordan
Richard Barrett
February 26, 2015
The Barrett family from Minnesota extends our deepest condolences to the Johnson family. Chuck and his family welcomed our family with open arms when our father moved from Milwaukee to continue his engineering career at Honeywell with Chuck. He will always be fondly remembered.
Flora Walker-Gillard
February 26, 2015
May the care of friends bring you comfort
and loving memories heal your heart.
Sorors Bonita & Nichelle Kitt
February 26, 2015
God has poured into you HIS abundance. Dwell on HIS riches. Know that our family is uplifting you and your family during this valley experience. Peace, Grace, and Blessings are yours.
Ashley Miller
February 26, 2015
Soror Johnson you are in my prayers. Your husband gave the world so much! Love you.
Woodrow & Mary Alyce Smith
February 26, 2015
Words cannot express the loss and sorrow we feel. Love for him will remain in our hearts forever.
Woody and Mary Alyce
The last of the three Johnson children
Denise Mack
February 26, 2015
Denise, Elinor, Uncle and Carl
Denise Mack
February 26, 2015
Charles and Elinor
Denise Mack
February 26, 2015
February 26, 2015
Aunt Sandra and family,
Uncle was a great man, and we are blessed to have had him in our lives.
Rachel Murphy
February 25, 2015
My thoughts go out to the family and soror Johnson.
Hank & Cheryl Melton
Hank Melton
February 25, 2015
Cheryl and I send our deepest condolences. You're in our prayers.
Bishop Perry
February 25, 2015
Sandra, my sincere condolences to you during your period of loss. Your faith is strong. Rely on it. Your family is strong. Lean on them. You take care of you.
February 25, 2015
Please know that prayers go out to you and your family at this difficult time. Mr. Charles will physically be missed but never forgotten
Kimberly & Mahlia
February 25, 2015
My prayers are with you and your family, Soror Sandra. May God surround you with His love and hold you close.
Love,
Soror Ellen Ligons
Soror Ellen Ligons
Janice Barkley
February 25, 2015
Sandra, A great soul has left us. Our hearts will always remember and always be filled with the light of your beloved Charles.
Janice W. Barkley
February 25, 2015
Sending love and prayers to my dear Soror Sandra and the Johnson family. May God grant you peace during your loss. ~Brandi P. Jones
February 25, 2015
In Sympathy, Leslie Price GCAC
February 25, 2015
Heartfelt Condolences
.................#9825.................
Rev. Sharon Hollie &
Mr. J. Douglas Hollie
Dublin, California
Barbara Bagneris
February 25, 2015
Thinking of Charle's family during this time of his transition to Glory! Sending my love to his wife and my Soror, Sandra Phillips-Johnson. People don't die until we forget them. Never forget.
Dedra Geran
February 25, 2015
My prayers and thoughts go out to you Soror at this time. May the memories live with you forever.
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