Jerry Johnson

Jerry W. Johnson, age 82, passed away Friday, August 9, 2019.

A private family burial was held at Kansas Veterans' Cemetery in Winfield on Tuesday, August 13.

A memorial service will be held at 11am, on Saturday, August 31, 2019, at Crossroads Baptist Church, Wichita, KS.

He is preceded by parents, J.C. Johnson and Sue (Todd) Abshire; brothers, Jimmy and Wesley Johnson.

Survived by wife, Scharmel; sons, Matt (Cheli) Johnson of Wichita and Mitch Johnson of Tampa, FL; brother, Ron (Carolia) Johnson of Aleda, TX; grandchildren, Chanda (Danilo) Costa, Monica (Chris) Deal, Benjamin Johnson, Jasmine (Zach) Gilcrease, J Michael Johnson; great-grandchildren, Milo, Clark and Cinthya Costa, Nathan and Westin Deal. 

Autobiography written by Jerry: 

I was born on August 7, 1937 at Methodist Hospital in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Tex. I attended James Bowie Elementary School, Adamson High and South Oak Cliff High until the 10th grade when I became a drop out at age 15. I worked for the Dallas Morning News in the Circulation Dept. for a year. At 16 I joined the Air Force. Yes, I must admit I fudged on my age a little bit, but nonetheless, I wanted to get away from home. My parents were divorced when I was 10 and I went back and forth between them like a ping pong ball, lived in 6 different foster homes, and was needing a change – ready or not. My basic training was at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Tech School was in Amarillo where I became an aircraft engine mechanic. From Tech School I went overseas to Wheelus Field in Tripoli, Lybia for 18 months, from there to Turner Field in Albany, Georgia until my enlistment was up. I returned to Dallas and soon enrolled in Arlington State University in Arlington and worked as a mechanic at Red Bird Airport in Dallas. During this time I was looking for a church and had attended several from Church of Christ to Southern Baptist. In August of 1958 I “happened” to run into Scharmel, whom I had known before the Air Force days (she was 12, I was 15). Everytime I tried to call her I would be told by her mother that if I wanted to see her I would have to go the church as that is where she spent her time. So, off to church I went. I was saved November 2, 1958  under the preaching of Bob Keyes. In February 1959 we were married at Galilean Baptist Church on 10th St. In Oak Cliff. Matt was born on Scharmel’s birthday, November 8, 1959. Having been called to preach in early 1960 I was recommended to Tennessee Temple Schools in Chattanooga, TN where I enrolled in September 1960. Scharmel worked at Western Union. I worked nights at the American National Bank in the Data Processing Dept. Mitch was born March 30, 1964. Upon graduation in 1964 we applied to Baptist International Missions, Inc. And were approved to begin our deputation for the West Indies. In June 1966 we left for the Caribbean and spent the first year between St. Thomas and Anguilla. In July 1967 I went to Antigua for what I thought would be a temporary stay and now 46 years later we finished our work. God has been good. We now have 10 Independent Baptist Churches, 3 Christian Day Schools, a night Bible Institute, a 10,000 watt radio station, a highly successful annual youth conference that attracts youth from the Bahamas in the North to Trinidad in the South, and a world-wide missions outreach through Faith Promise. Like Paul I can say, “... the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

Memorial: Baptist International Missions, Inc. Checks payable to BIMI, memo: Antigua, PO Box 9, Harrison, TN 37341.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jerry Johnson, please visit our floral store.