Jerry Wayne Johnson

Jerry W. Johnson passed away peacefully in his home, on December 12, 2022. He was born to Elsie (Booker) and Gene Johnson in Bedford, Indiana on September 15, 1943. He is preceded in death by his wife Sandra, his parents and oldest brother, James Johnson, and brother-in-law, Gary Lowhorn. He leaves a brother, Danny (Marilou) Johnson, sister Donna Lowhorn, sister-in-law Janice Johnson and Donna (Donnie) Bankhead. He also leaves behind his children, Tina (Tony) Elliott, Jerry Johnson, Jr., Christine (Ray) Pagenkopf, Tamara (Dennis) Ballard, his granddaughters, Ashley (Scott) Hendricks, Megan (Lane) Arnott, Brittany (Casey) Elliott, Amanda (Jason) Rhoton, his 12 great grandchildren, Brendan and Gabrielle Hendricks, Lilly, Lucy, Sawyer, and Gracie Elliott, and Jacob, Jayden, Kayson, Gabriel, Acelynn, and Natalie Rhoton.
Jerry’s first job out of high school was at Standard Grocery Store and he worked there until he was 21 years old, and his brother Jim got him a job with Bell Trucking. He then went to work for Lovelace Trucking and became a city driver and he never looked back. Jerry retired from CF Trucking in 1998 after 34 years.
This is a little bio of his lifetime. He was born in the country and was definitely a mischievous country boy. It was always said that there wasn’t a limb on any of the tree in their yard that you could touch because his mother had to use them all on her three boys.
His older brother Danny was riding his Cushman Scooter down a hill on the highway in front of the family home during the winter with snow and ice on the road, and as he crested the hill, he saw Jerry who had laid his bicycle across one side of the road and was laying on the other side of the road. Danny had no choice but to go through the middle of them in hopes of surviving without hurting his brother when he spun out and went down the hill ending up with the scooter on top of him.
After scrap stone was laid in the driveway, only to find the next spring the dirt in the driveway was full of poison ivy. Jerry needed only to just walk by the ivy to have an outbreak. To remedy the problem, he took a five-gallon can of gasoline from his father’s work truck and poured it down the edge of the drive and struck a match to it. He disappeared in red fireball of flames that blew him across the driveway and up next to the house, having only his eyebrows scorched.
Another time he and his brother, Danny, were at the bridge down the road, and he had some 22 rifle bullets. Taking one out and placing the shell on the top of the box top he lit the box with a match. A car came along, and he tried to knock it off, so it didn’t hit the car, and it exploded hitting him in the shoulder.
He lived his first fifteen years in Bedford before coming to Indianapolis, IN because of his dad’s job. His first new car was a 1964 Impala that he was very proud of. He liked to drive fast and there was a policeman that loved to stop him every time he would see Jerry’s car, at least that how Jerry explained it. The policeman would place him in the patrol car and lecture him and send him on his way until the next time. Jerry once picked up his future sister-in-law from school and his front tire blew and he drove her home on the rim. He cut through an alley and there was a garden bed of Tulips, which he had drove through with a woman chasing after him with a hoe. It is safe to say that it was hard to get the wild country out of the boy.
Jerry’s nephew posted on Facebook memories of what he called, “The Saturday Night Bullshitters”. Jerry and his wife Sandy’s family would gather to play poker and his nephew could remember hearing Jerry laugh all night, as it was such a distinct laugh. He also said there was so much love in the room no matter whose house they were at.
After retirement, Sandy and Jerry got to travel and they enjoyed going to casinos and racetracks until her health made it impossible to travel. He tended to her every need and loved doing for her until she passed away on October 4, 2021. He lost his caretaker’s job and even the numerous visits from his children and the occasional trips to the casino, he was still lonely. Her birthday is on Saturday, December 17 and there is a consensus that he will be celebrating with her and surely there will be a wild fun-loving game in heaven right now. Jerry’s visitation will be held on Friday, December 16,2022 from 11:00am-1:00pm at Flanner Buchanan Decatur Township with the funeral service immediately following at 1:00pm. He will be laid to rest at the Maple Hill Cemetery in Plainfield, Indiana. To sign Jerry’s online guest book and share your memories with his family you are invited to go to www.flannerbuchanan.com