Judge Kenneth Houston Johnson

Judge Kenneth Houston Johnson, 77, went to be with Jesus on December 9, 2021 after a life well lived.

Ken was born in Knoxville, TN on May 13, 1944 and grew up in Cincinnati, OH with his dad John, mom Marge and younger brother Rick. As a kid he was once “Mayor for a Day” in Cincinnati, played football and played the accordion in a polka band. He attended Hanover College where he played football and pledged the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. After a brief detour studying psychology at Miami of Ohio, he attended law school at Indiana University – Indianapolis and remained a diehard IU fan the rest of his life.

He began his legal career in private practice but soon ran and was elected Judge in Marion County Superior Court 2, a position he was elected to a total of 5 times, serving from 1979 to 2009. As a judge he presided over more than 250 jury trials, including the largest single jury trial in Indiana history, an asbestos trial with so many attorneys it required renting out the Indianapolis Athletic Club in order to accommodate the trial. He was part of the committee that developed the Indiana Rules of Evidence, which were first adopted in 1993. He also pioneered the first paperless docket in Indiana history, which consolidated asbestos litigation from 91 Indiana counties into his court. He loved being a judge and was a great one. Everywhere he went you could count on someone greeting him with a “Hey Judge.”

Ken also loved people. He loved talking with people. His mind stayed sharp and he remained curious and interested in learning new things all of his life. He had a great sense of humor, as anyone who knew him would tell you. Slow to anger and always quick to laugh, despite all of his accomplishments he never took himself too seriously.

Ken was a family man. He is survived by Joyce, his wife of 53 years (“Joyous” to him; she called him “Big Potsie”), his kids, Jeremy, Micah, Jessica and Nathanael, his grandkids, Caleb, Maggie, Grace, Faith and Avery, his daughter-in-law Angi and son-in-law Doug. As a husband he cherished his wife. As a father he was always there for his kids, never missing an event, always offering encouragement and willing to give advice. He and Joyce homeschooled their kids for more than a decade and Ken remained an active board member of the Home School Legal Defense Association for more than 25 years.

Most importantly, Ken loved Jesus and his salvation and personal relationship with Jesus was the defining aspect of his life. He lived his faith. He was patient, kind, gentle, merciful and forgiving to everyone. He was never shy about his faith and was a frequent testimonial speaker at Christian Women’s Club couples events. He is with Jesus now. As it says in Matthew 25:23, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Ken’s funeral services will be on Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 2PM at Flanner Buchanan-Memorial Park, 9350 E Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46229. Visitation will be from 12noon until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Home School Legal Defense Association, which assists military, low income and single parent families with the expenses of homeschooling. A public celebration of life reception will be held at the Johnson Family Party Barn.