Walter Donald "Wally" Johnson

Walter "Wally" Donald Johnson, 77, formerly of Peru, passed away at 2:29 A.M., Tuesday, March 10, 2026, due to complications from a sudden cancer diagnosis at Ascension St. Vincent, Indianapolis. Wally was born in Madison, IN, on July 10, 1948, the son of Walter "Walt" Matthews and Helen Louise (Morrow) Johnson. He married Paula Sue Lauer on August 18, 1973, and she survives.

Wally was a 1966 graduate of Walkerton High School, earned his BA at Indiana University Bloomington in 1970 and his Masters in Mathematics in 1974 at Notre Dame. An article in the Peru Daily Tribune after his retirement from Peru High School in 2006 explained his career choice perfectly. "What else can you do if you like football, basketball, and calculus?" Wally made a career out of his passions teaching mathematics for 36 years, while coaching Academic Super Bowl, basketball, football, and track and field. He was named Peru Community Schools Teacher of the Year in 2001. The impact he made on the students he taught and the players he coached went well beyond letter grades or wins & losses. MR. JOHNSON cared deeply about ALL his students in Manchester, DeKalb, IL, and Peru. He also taught classes for IU Kokomo and Ivy Tech. Wally challenged them to achieve more than they thought was possible and use those lessons to reach their full potential and become successful adults. In a rewarding example of Wally's classroom lessons coming to life, he stayed busy during retirement working for a former student, Tim Rice at Lakeside Wealth Management. There he assisted many of his teaching colleagues with retirement planning.

He and Paula made many memories traveling the country, eventually visiting 49 of the 50 states and 3 Disney Parks (Orlando/Anaheim/Paris) He also attended a game at the home stadium of all 30 Major League Baseball teams. This incredible journey culminated with a visit to Citi Field in New York with his family in 2017. Wally's favorite teams were the Pacers, Colts, Reds, Hoosiers, and whoever played Purdue. Yet another full circle moment for Wally was watching the Indiana University football team win a National Championship 58 years after he attended the Rose Bowl in person as an IU undergrad. Wally loved the invention of the TIVO/DVR allowing him to catch all his favorite team's games, often watching them later if he wasn't home. He never missed a Pacers Live Pregame or Postgame Show. Dad's passion for sports went directly to his broadcaster son Jeremiah. His proficiency with numbers was passed down to his accountant daughter Jessica. Cincinnati Reds Legend Joe Nuxhall always ended his radio broadcast by saying, "This is the Old Left-hander Rounding Third and Heading for Home." Listening to the Reds on WLW was one of his passions and this was one of his favorite lines. GRANDPA was the title for the "Rounding Third and Heading for Home" portion of Wally's life. He was extremely proud of those three "marvelous" grandsons and poured every ounce of his being into them utilizing the same skills of teaching, mentoring, and loving that he did for his students and players.

Surviving in addition to his wife, Paula, are his children Jeremiah (Alisha) Johnson of Zionsville and Jessica (Taylor) Rollins of Carmel; grandchildren Preston Johnson, Mason Johnson and Grayson Rollins; sister Barbara Kormelink of Michigan and sister-in-law Suzie Johnson of Walkerton, IN. Wally was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Jerry Johnson and John Johnson.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Wally Johnson will be held at the Eikenberry-Eddy Funeral Home, 84 West Main St., Peru on Sunday April 26th. Visitation will be from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM with services beginning at 4:00 PM. All are invited following the conclusion of the services to share memories while indulging in some of Wally's favorite things to eat across the street at First Presbyterian Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made through the Eikenberry-Eddy Funeral Home to either the Peru High School Academic Super Bowl Team or the Peru High School Athletic Department.