GOODBYE TO A SPECIAL MAN!

A very special person in our town has left us.  There is not one person in town, young or old, new or lived here all their lives, who did not know Johnny.

Johnny was the first person we met when we moved into town, in fact, the moving truck hadn't even pulled away from the curb before Johnny walked up the sidewalk, introduced himself and welcomed us to his home town.

Johnny looked just like many old country folk look - he was always dressed in a pair of blue jeans, wore a checkered flannel shirt, work boots, baseball cap with a logo on the front from the local service station, or from a seed company...

His apparel was the same working or dressed for the fair, except for two main elements.  When he dressed up the work boots would be replaced by cowboy boots, and the baseball cap was replaced by a wide brimmed cowboy hat.

That was Johnny!

Johnny's work was cutting grass in the summer.  He had regular customers and could be seen all summer long pushing his lawnmower from place to place with his weed whipper strung over his shoulder and a small Geri can of fuel somehow clutched in his hand.  You see Johnny didn't drive...

Many a hot summer's day we would see him walking past our home in such a manner and ask him to have a seat and something cool to drink - and Johnny would stop, sit on the park bench and tell tale after tale of all the things he loved to do and see.

Here are pictures I took of Gary and Johnny visiting on one such rest stop.  It must have been quite the story being told... You can't see Johnny's face but he was smiling at whatever Gary was saying, because Johnny always had a smile on his face.

 
Some say Johnny was simple, or that he was slow.  Maybe he was, but he was the kindest sweetest fellow - I think Johnny was just about perfect.

If you ran into Johnny at the store, he would open the door for you, smile and ask how you were.

He collected other residents garbage from their suites and carried it down to the outside bins for those who couldn't do this task themselves.  Johnny lived in assisted living, but he was the one assisting anyone who needed his help.

Johnny picked up trash off the street, collected fliers at the post office that others threw aside and disposed of them correctly.

Johnny was areal country gentlemen, and he was a gentle man.

Johnny was diagnosed with cancer shortly before Christmas, 6 months ago.  He spent several months in the hospital and then was transferred to the personal care home a couple of months later.

And now he's is gone.

Rest in Peace Johnny.... this town will miss you.


Johnny was only 68 yrs old!