Wilburn Richard "Rick" Johns, Jr. passed away at home in Durham on the afternoon of Saturday, October 7, 2023 after a hard-fought battle with esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by family, love, good music, and good memories. Rick was 67 years old.

He wanted everyone to know he wasn't afraid.

–

Rick was a carpenter, an artist, a collector of assorted weird and wild treasures, a champion poker and pool player, and a doting Poppa who never met a dog he didn't like, a yard sale he wouldn't stop for, or a problem that a little double-face tape couldn't fix. He believed first and foremost that life is meant to be well-lived. He believed in having a good time, being good to people, and breaking the rules when the situation calls for it.

Born in Baltimore, MD, Rick was always most at home by the water. He enjoyed fishing, crabbing, and showing off his aquariums to anyone who passed by. He had an insatiable energy that kept him always moving and working. He could never leave a dish in the sink or the channel on during a commercial. He was always up for a road trip, and he had about a hundred ongoing projects at any given time. He liked his music loud and his guitar amp louder. (Though he never really learned how to play, he always enjoyed listening to himself figure it out.)

He lived hard, he loved hard, and he made fast friends everywhere he went. He loved his family, his friends, his grandbabies, and above all he loved his Patty. They were together for more than 45 years, and he believed a part of him would find her forever.

Rick always said we should throw him in a volcano when his time came, but that's logistically challenging and governments don’t look kindly on such things. So like so much of his life, he decided to follow Pat instead. Like Pat, he asked that his eyes be donated to Miracles in Sight and his body to the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine for the advancement of science.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these causes in his memory:

• Esophageal Cancer Action Network:  https://ecan.org/give-the-gift-of-hope/
• Playing for Change: https://playingforchange.org/donate/
• Carolina Waterfowl Rescue: https://www.cwrescue.org/ways-to-donate
• Hope Animal Rescue: https://www.hopeanimals.org/donate/

You can also listen to some of Rick's favorite songs here:https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLio-6YnRHeEdcXWgs5Ugg5zrxlGmC6jgc&si=Z1fzQiGUqeDck6u5

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/wilburn-johns/obituary/

Copy