Michael Dean Johnson
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Michael Dean Johnson, 72, passed away December 29, at The University of Kansas Hospital. Memorial services will be at 10:00 am, Tuesday, January 18 at Woods Chapel United Methodist Church in Lee’s Summit, MO (Livestream.com/woodschapel); visitation will be Monday, January 17 from 6-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made at cureibm.org, donate to The John Hopkins Medical Center or mail to Fund John Hopkins Medicine, Dept. of Neurology, 550 N. Broadway, Ste. 731, Baltimore, MD 21205, reference memorial contribution for Mike Johnson.
Michael was born Sept. 5, 1949, in Kansas City, MO, to Billy D. Johnson and Willodean Davidson. He fought courageous battles against the muscle disease, Inclusion Body Myositis and esophageal cancer. His faith, tenacious grit, and determination was evident in his struggle. He was a 1967 graduate of Raytown High School and earned his B.A. in Marketing at Central Missouri State University. He served in the US Army National Guard from 1969 until 1975. Michael had a successful work career which included KW Dart (1969-1982) as a regional sales manager, parts manager, and general marketing manager; Kansas City Peterbilt (1982-1989) as a general sales manager. His career culminated as part owner and President of Tandem Truck Sales from 1989-2017. During his career he traveled worldwide, one of his favorite places was Australia. His hobbies included golf, Chiefs fan (40 year season ticket holder), coaching for youth sports, and following his grandchildrens’ sports games. He enjoyed his golf buddies, Sunday night poker, and traveling with Barbara, family, and friends. His memory will personify that he was a man who loved his family and enjoyed his friends. Many trusted him for advice on business or financial matters, a true leader. He had a dry wit that would catch you off guard and leave you laughing hysterically. He also had a talent of recalling sports’ statistics. The most important values to Mike were faith, family and friends.
He will lovingly be remembered by wife, Barbara; son, Ryan Johnson and spouse, Andrea; daughter, Kelli Quiring, spouse, Austin; brother, Curtis Johnson, sister-in-law, Diane Willumson and spouse Dale, grandchildren Ellie, Grant, Lilly and Hudson; nieces, Melanie and Blaire.
“A man’s life consists not of what he has, but what he is.” Robert H. Schuller
Visits: 14
To my buddy Mike. May he Rest In Peace. Will never forget our friendship and our many golf trips to AZ, FL, and San Diego. What a courageous battle he fought. God has a new friend in heaven. May peace and loving memories be with his family and friends.
Duke and Nancy
Remembering Mike with respect, fondness & joy. Knowing Barbara & the dedication of she & her children toward their dad/husband touches my heart. Mike was always positive & witty. Our deepest sympathy in this loss & praising God for His comfort and mercy! Our love & support, Sam & DuVonne Campbell
I will miss you Mike. I never took our friendship for granted. I knew it was special. The golf games and golf trips were the best. The work challenges were rewarding. You were brave and positive to the end. Rest In Peace. Love you.
John Cain and family
Mike, I am so glad that we were able to share many moments together. Growing up together for a short time in CA and many visits to MO over the years. Our friendship grew stronger during the years I lived in Springfield and we could get together with family, play golf and socialize. I will never forget your hospitality, sense of humor, or that great smile. You were such great fun to hang out with! Save us a tee time on that golf course in Heaven. I’ll see you there!
To my very best friend, Ryan, and his family… I am deeply sorry. May the Lord bring you peace and comfort
As some have already mentioned, I can also recall many golf outings with Mike and Ryan and the times we had cutting up with each other. Mike had a great sense of humor and was always fun to be around.
He was also my coach for many years and taught me things I still recall today. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. All who knew him were blessed. Thank you Mike for being a part of my life.
Mike, Curtis my dad and I had an annual golf outing where we competed against each other. We always had a good time. I really enjoyed the time we spent together on the course and the times I saw him outside the golf course. Our conversations were always about those golf outings. He was a good man. My dad and I talked about him just before my dad passed away. It was a topic that made my dad smile. He wanted to visit him unfortunately was unable to go see him due to his own issues. Mike will be missed by my entire family. Rest In Peace my friend.
My deepest sympathy to Mike family, may Lord bring you peace and comfort in this difficult time. The Lord will given Barbara strength and comfort her with his Grace??????.
You have my deepest sympathy. Mike was definitely one of the good ones. As John said the challenges he gave you at work were rewarding. He taught me I was capable of much more than I thought I was. Working at Tandem was like having a second family, some of the best years of my life. He will be missed by so many, I am sure he already has a Tee Time lined up in Heaven. Rest in peace Mike. Love you,
Julie
A good friend and great neighbor- lots of over the fence visits and a beer or wine on the patio with the girls. I will miss the Monday morning breakfast at Hi-Vee with Mike and friends- also all the golf advice. We are so glad we got to know you and see, with all the challenges, what a brave man you are. Joe and Sybille
I will be missing my good friend Mike so very much, but I will always have such good memories of him. Mike’s quick and sometimes inappropriate wit always made me laugh and Barb would always say”don’t laugh it only encourages him” which made me laugh even more. Every discussion I would have with Mike made me a more informed person even when our views were polar opposite. I will always miss my friend, if you see me sitting alone with a smile on my face it is probably a Mike joke.
A high school buddy who always had the style and grace going on. You will be missed my friend. Always enjoyed getting together. Rest well buddy, rest well. Mike O’Shaughnessy
My deepest sympathies to Barbara, the kids and Grandchildren. What a legacy Mike leaves behind. An amazing boss and even better person, I will never run out of Memories from our Tandem Family. Much Love and respect.
I first met Mike in 1971 at Dart Truck Company. Throughout the years besides working at Dart we played softball and attended Chiefs games. Eventually we went different directions but stayed in touch over the years. Mike is very intelligent and I could always call or meet with him to seek sound advice – he was definitely a mentor of mine. Mike was always positive and loved chatting about his children and grand children, he was VERY proud of Ryan and Kelli’s professional accomplishments, then came the grandkids and that was HUGE for him, he loved going to their sporting events. Mike left us way too early and I will miss him.
Barbara, I am so terribly sorry for your loss. Mike’s service was beautiful, a lovely tribute to a life well lived. He truly left a legacy of love.
Been friends with Mike since high school. Last contacts were at a few of the the good old Romeo lunches! Can’t say enough good things about Mike. He will be greatly missed by all. Hollie Stebbins