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In memory of
Dr. Earl Johnson
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Earl's obituary
Earl was born in June of 1941 in Tennessee to Earl and Violet Johnson. His family, including older sister Violet “Bobbie” Johnson Ray, lived throughout the middle south and midwest as Earl, Sr. was a detective for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Earl talked with interest and delight about going with his father on early morning rounds.
Earl attended Central Methodist College and earned his Masters Degree at the University of Missouri, where he met the love of his life, Juanita Fay, who was serving punch at a dance “mixer” at Stephens College. Earl and Juanita were married in Columbia, MO on June 9, 1965 and have been dancing together ever since. After a summer as counselors at Pin Oak Girl Scout Camp in the Ozarks, they moved to Fort Collins, CO, where Earl taught mathematics at Colorado State University.
Earl was drafted out of teaching into the US Army during the Vietnam Conflict, and after a stiflingly hot basic training (he always said the sunburn from basic training in Texas is what caused his thinning hair), he served as a researcher at the Pentagon.
After Earl’s service, he and Juanita returned to Fort Collins where he earned his doctorate in biostatistics and they had two children: Richard Earl (1970) and Jennifer Hope (1973).
Earl and Juanita moved with Rich and Jen to Fredericksburg, VA from 1973-1977, where Earl taught statistics at Mary Washington College.
In 1977, the family moved onto Locust Street in Norwich, NY where Earl and Juanita were active members of the Broad Street United Methodist Church and facilitated Marriage Enrichment groups. Earl was a devoted dad to his children and a father figure to many of their friends. He worked for 25 years at Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals, which became Procter & Gamble. Earl’s proudest professional achievement was being project manager of the team that brought buprenorphine (Bruprenex) to market. Earl strongly believed buprenorphine would help people recover from opioid addictions and also offer alternatives for pain relief. His team’s work and legacy lives on with each person and animal helped by buprenorphine.
In 2004, Earl and Juanita moved to Durham, NC to be close to their grandson, Samuel Wichman. Here, Earl cut a rug twice weekly with the Durham Twirlers square dancers. He also hosted weekly poker games with his friends and son-in-law, Noah Wichman. Earl joined a small, close-knit group studying A Course in Miracles. This began a deep and transformational 16-year spiritual journey in which Earl focused on unconditional love and forgiveness.
In 2019, Earl was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). Earl and Juanita met this diagnosis with grace, humor, love — and a lot of research. Earl kept his sweetness, concern for others, and the twinkle in his sky-blue eyes even while he experienced the deteriorating effects of LBD. No matter what, Earl would always ask how you were and if he could get you a glass of water or anything to eat. Sweet, cheerful, and considerate, to the last.
Earl died at the Duke Hospice Hock Family Pavilion after a very rapid decline. The last days of his life were a precious and grace-filled time. Earl’s spiritual practice enabled him to leave this earth with no unfinished business. This is a blessing to all.
Ever generous, practical, and thoughtful, Earl wanted to donate his earthly body to serve as a “silent partner” for medical students to study
anatomy at Duke Medical School. This last gift is fitting - he will continue to teach and be of service, even after his death.
We, his family, friends, and neighbors, will miss him. That twinkle in his eye. His hilarious, mid-conversation non sequiturs. The way he threw his head back when he laughed. His brilliant mind and his deeply kind heart. How he liked to sit on the front porch to “mind the neighbors’ business.” His excellent foot rubs and his whip-smart poker playing. Yes, we will miss him, but we are truly grateful that he lived a deeply conscious and meaningful life, and that he had a peaceful death, surrounded by love.
Earl is survived by his wife, Juanita Fay Johnson, his children Richard Earl Johnson and Jennifer Hope Wichman, next-door son-in-law Noah Wichman, next-door grandson Samuel Wichman, nieces Linda Ray Anderson (Jim Anderson) and Susan Ray King (Archie King), and numerous beloved extended family, friends, dance partners, students, and spiritual mentees.
A Celebration of Earl’s Life through stories and music will be held at Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham, NC at 2:00 PM on June 12, 2021 and will be shared on Facebook Live (account: JJ Johnson http://facebook.com/jjjohnson…)
** We are touched by folks wanting to share in Earl’s Celebration of Life. Due to Covid restrictions, only a limited number of people are allowed at Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. We encourage you to join us by livestream - http://facebook.com/jjjohnson…. We would also love for you to share memories by writing them down and sending them in a card to Juanita.
** In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Earl’s memory to any of the following organizations. We also encourage acts of kindness in his memory.
Lewy Body Dementia Association
912 Killian Hill Road, S.W.
Lilburn, GA 30047
https://www.lbda.org
The Coral Reef Alliance
http://coral.org
Duke HomeCare & Hospice
https://www.dukehealth.org/tr…
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Created with love by
Jennifer Wichman (Earl's daughter).
