To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Ellen Ward
July 20, 2023
My first memory of Johnnie was when I was around 10 years old. My younger sister, Peggy, and I had taken a Greyhound from Michigan to stay with Aunt Mary and Uncle Dick, Anne, Timmy and little Johnnie. He was still in a highchair, so I'm thinking it was around 1967. Even at such a young age, I remember he had rock-star good looks, and the voice to match. He sat in his highchair and sang the whole time, and he was really good!
Many years later, when he was with Urge Overkill, I heard the band was appearing in a place here in Washington DC. I rushed over to catch the show, and when the show was over, I wended my way over to the band's touring bus. I tried to get onto the bus, telling the touring manager that I was Johnnie's cousin, but he wasn't having it. I guess that's a common claim from female admirers;) Eventually he came out and we had a nice quick chat.
I was so sad to hear of his passing. My heart goes out to Mary, Anne, Tim and the extended family
John Freyer
June 29, 2023
RIP Johnny. We used to play Hot Wheels down the hill on Artesian, when we were little. We used to hang around when we were older at all the cool spots, Eric the Red XRT nights, The Exit. I´d go see him play at the Metro when he was in the band, Tumblin Dice. I´d see him later in the 90s, after he struck fame at places in the noerhside. No matter who he was with, he was always happy to see me and would invite me to sit down with whoever he was with. He was smart and funny. I was saddened to hear of his passing. I had always hoped to run into him again to talk about the old days. Heaven is rocking just a little more.
Bob H.
June 27, 2023
John was an amazing musician, and an even more amazing person. He had so much charisma, so much energy. He touched so many people, including myself, with his selflessness and his kindness. RIP John. You will be missed dearly.
Maribeth
June 26, 2023
Johnny had so much charisma, creativity and talent. He was my cousin and growing up I was in awe of how supportive his parents were to all of their children. If love were enough to save him, he would still be with us. My love to Mary, Anne and Tim for the loss of Johnny.
Dan Ward
June 25, 2023
Some of my earliest and happiest memories were of Johnny and me as boys. Playing in Uncle Dick's and Aunt Mary's backyard, riding waves at the NJ shore, and visiting the loop for my first time. I remember him practicing drums on his new set in his parent's basement. He said it was hard work. But he was so drawn into the rhythm, that I knew his passion had found him.
O´Rourke Richard
June 25, 2023
Sincere Condolences to Rowan Family
Rest in peace JOHN
Tom Wagner
June 24, 2023
Johnny and I learned how to play hockey together in Oak Lawn. Later we played baseball together and his dad was a great coach!
Erin Khar
June 24, 2023
It´s hard to capture what John meant to me in the space of a few sentences.
He changed me. He changed the shape of my heart. He believed in me and saw who I was at a time when I struggled to do so for myself. That was one of his many gifts- to break through the madness and see people for who they truly are.
To say that I am sad that he is gone would be a gross understatement. Like so many others who loved him, I have been wading through the grief.
Grief starts as an unbearable state of being, a reaction to what we lost. And I don´t think grief goes away. We just learn to live with it, beside it.
But grief does transform, shifting from a state of pain and loss to a thing of beauty, a testament to the importance of what we had, proof of love and life.
And that proof makes me grateful to have known him, to have loved him.
Thank you. For all of it.
MICHAEL WARD
June 24, 2023
What a loss. A truly unique individual. Prayers for Johnnie and the surviving family
Mike Ward
"Eddie" King Roeser
June 24, 2023
Aside from genius level musical artistry, John was the second funniest man I have ever met. He brought joy and humor to thousands of people and made me laugh thousands of times
Cali Dewitt
June 24, 2023
The best there ever was.
Rest in peace my brother
Love, Cali and the Dewitt family
Andrew - Brother Rice HS class of '84.
June 23, 2023
My heartfelt condolences to John's friends and family. John once wrote and recorded a song that affected me deeply and prevented me from harming myself, and for that I will be forever grateful. May he rest in peace.
Showing 1 - 13 of 13 results
The nightly ceremony in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated in honor of your loved one on the day of your choosing.
Read moreWhat kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read moreWe'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read moreIf you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read moreLegacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read moreThey're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel.
Read moreYou may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
Read moreThese free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
Read moreSome basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
Read more