Walter Johnson

The Rev. WALTER FRANCIS JOHNSON passed away Tuesday, December 15, in Bloomington, Indiana. He was 76 years old. Born in Akron, Ohio to the late E. Russell and Cornelia Johnson, Rev. Johnson graduated from Akron South High School in January of 1951. A few days later he began classes at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, graduating with a B.A. in 1954. He went on to Hamma Divinity School (now Hamma School of Theology) at Wittenberg, graduating in 1957 with a Master of Divinity degree. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Ohio University and a Graduate Certificate in Counseling from the University of Illinois.Rev. Johnson served many communities as pastor. His first call was as Assistant Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton, Ohio, where he served from 1957 to 1960. He went on to serve Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Tyler, Texas (1960-1963); First English Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio (1963 to1966); Christ Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry, Athens, Ohio (1966-1972); the Lutheran Campus Center (later St. Andrew’s Church), Champaign, Illinois (1972-1984); and St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Bloomington, Indiana (1984-1995). Following an early retirement for health reasons in 1995, he worked part-time as a Mission Director in Indiana and Kentucky for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He retired again in 1998. In 2005, Rev. Johnson was given the honorary title of “Pastor Emeritus” at St. Thomas Church in Bloomington.He was an active supporter of many social and environmental causes, and a champion for the civil rights of marginalized populations. An unusually talented wordsmith, he chose to use his writing talents to glorify God and preach His word. He self-published two collections of his sermons, “Ambo Oddities” and “At the Edge of Christmas: Meditations on Christmas Eve.”Rev. Johnson was the recipient of the first annual Distinguished Service Award given by the National Lutheran Church Campus Ministry, which included a grant for a study sabbatical in Italy, Switzerland, and England.He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 48 years, Nona Herrick Johnson, who passed away unexpectedly in 2008, and by his brother, Bill, and sister, Carol.Rev. Johnson is survived by daughters Letitia K. Johnson of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri; Larissa C. Johnson and her partner Eric Sparks of Bloomfield; and the granddaughter he loved so much, Addison Rayne Sparks, also of Bloomfield.A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, December 19, 2009, at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Bloomington. Presiding at the service will be the Rev. Dr. Lyle M. McKee, assisted by the Rev. Richard Zawistoski. A memorial fund for an as-yet undetermined purpose has been established at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 3800 E. Third Street, Bloomington IN 47401. Allen Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenfuneralhome.org.

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Walter Johnson

September 30, 1933 - December 15, 2009