Johnson, Rev. Eric Lee (1947-2017)

JOHNSON, WARNER, WOODS, PENNYMAN, REMECZ, MCKENZIE, REEDER

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 5/18/2021 at 17:36:23

Rev. Eric Lee Johnson
July 17, 1947 ~ February 3, 2017 (age 69)

Rev. Eric Lee “Rik” Johnson, age 69, of Cane Valley, Kentucky, went home to the Lord on Friday, February 3, 2017.

Eric, a son of Elaine ‘Bunny’ (Woods) and Fredrick ‘Fred’ C. Warner, was born in the Onawa Hospital in Onawa, Iowa, on July 17, 1947. In 1954, however, he became the legally adopted son of Robert ‘Bob’ J. Johnson. As a child, he took piano lessons and joined the Cub Scouts. Known as Rikki throughout high school, he, along with his brother, Dennis, kept busy mowing yards, delivering newspapers, fishing in the summer, and trapping in the winter. In school, he participated in speech, receiving a Certificate of Merit award in Public Address at a state speech contest. A drum major in his junior and senior years, he participated in the marching band, lettered in basketball, baseball, and held the record in basketball which stood until 2016 for the most career points. (This was before the 3-point shot). Ranked in the top ten percent of his class, Eric graduated in 1965 from West Monona High School at Onawa, Iowa. A member of the National Honor Society, he, also, won major and minor awards in vocal music as well as the American Citizenship Award. In addition, he worked as a life guard at the Onawa swimming pool.

Eric attended Morningside College for four years. After graduating, he enrolled at and then graduated from the Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. In the summer of 1971, he served as the Summer Resort Minister in Traverse City, Michigan, and as pastor to the migrate workers and Indians in North Port, Michigan, north of Traverse City. Rik would travel back-and-forth to school for his last year at Garrett Seminary. After his ordination in 1972, he was appointed to a country church which was later consolidated into the Reading United Methodist Church, West Michigan Conference, Albion District, where he served for four years. While in Reading and with the help of a supportive congregation and community, he developed a very large summer program for youth complete with outings. Eric, also, acquired a school bus for transportation to these events. He was planning to transfer to the Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church, but in the process, his papers from Garrett Seminary were not received in time at the Iowa Annual Conference. Having to provide for his family, he moved to Onawa, Iowa, where he worked with his dad as a carpenter for a few years. During this time, he ministered through music at several area places and at the Onawa / Blue Lake KOA Campground on Sunday mornings. He established and pastored a community church in Ida Grove and then at Storm Lake, Iowa, and he continued his “Ministry of Music”.

Now as a family of six including four children, Kevin, Jennifer, Jeffrey, and Matthew, the Johnsons moved to St. Charles, Illinois, where Eric was employed in the construction business. Later with the assistance of family, he engaged in the remodeling and selling of existing properties in and near Aurora, Illinois. In addition, he attended refrigeration school in Chicago to learn how to repair appliances. While still in Aurora, he began to repair and sell used appliances. On December 18, 2004, Eric married Jacqueline D. Johnson at the Villas Wesleyan Church in Fort Myers, Florida. After leaving the Chicago area, he continued to purchase and refurbish properties to rent or sell. He and his family, also, made their home in Old Bridge Village, North Fort Myers, while in Florida. An avid sports fan, Eric enjoyed playing softball and tennis. Moreover, he loved living on the “Farm” in Cane Valley, Kentucky, where he resumed his appliance business. Throughout his life, he continued his music ministry until he, suddenly, passed away.

Eric is survived by his wife, Jackie, of Cane Valley, Kentucky; her children, Angel (James) Pennyman, Nedra Sue Johnson, and Derrick Lamar Johnson; her nine grandchildren; his children and grandchildren, Kevin E. and his friend, Stephanie Ericson, of North Fort Myers, Florida; Jennifer L. (Heiko), Ella Remecz, of Fort Myers, Florida; Jeffrey (Stacey), McKenzie, Carter and Owen, Gwendolyn Johnson, of Wooster, Ohio; Matthew K. (Nicole), Matthew and Anika Johnson, of St. Charles, Illinois; his mother, Elaine (Woods) Johnson, of Onawa, Iowa; his brothers, Dennis O. (Betty), of Brainerd, Minnesota, and Michael R. Johnson, of Onawa, Iowa, his half-brother, Dr. James D. Warner, D.C., of Keizer, Oregon; and his half-sisters, Juanita (Gordon) Reeder, of Aloha, Oregon, and Dr. Merrylee Warner, D.C., of Keizer, Oregon. Eric was preceded in death by his father, Fred Warner, in 1988 and his dad, Bob Johnson, in 2014.

Funeral service will be held Saturday, February 11, 2017, at 2:00 P.M. at the Cane Valley Christian Church with Brother Ivan Tucker officiating. Visitation will be after 1:00 P.M., Saturday, at the church. Arrangements are with the Grissom-Martin Funeral Home.

Grissom-Martin Funeral Home, Columbia, Kentucky, 2017.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by LaVern Velau.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen