Roll Call Tribute

Published in (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram on June 25, 2017

Frank Francis Johnson(1925 - 2017)
Frank Francis Johnson, 91, passed away Monday, June 19, 2017. Memorial Service: A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at the Leonard Memorial Chapel at First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth, 800 W. 5th St., Fort Worth, Texas 76102. Memorials: in lieu of flowers, consideration of donations to First Street Methodist Mission of First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth, or MHMR Visions Foundation of Fort Worth/Tarrant County. Frank was born Nov. 26, 1925, in Stamford, Texas, to parents Jesse Andrew "Jake" and Lillie Mae Johnson. He grew up in Ranger, Texas, with his parents and older brother, Jesse Andrew "J.A." Johnson Jr. He married his high school sweetheart, Billie Jean Turner, in May 1944. He served in the US Navy during World War II as a radioman stationed in the Azores Islands from 1944 - 1946. When he returned from duty, he re-entered the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now Texas A&M University, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, class of 1950. He and his family lived in Dallas and he worked at LTV/Vought Aircraft in Grand Prairie as an electrical engineer from 1951 to 1992. Upon his retirement, he and Billie Jean moved to Arlington and later to Fort Worth. Throughout his life Frank gave back to the community, supporting causes ranging from manning all night suicide prevention hotlines to serving at the First Street Methodist Mission Food Pantry Ministries. In retirement, he served as a docent at the Fort Worth Zoo and the Fort Worth Stockyards. He and his wife were longtime members of First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth and were very active in the Covenant Sunday School Class, where he continued to serve as program director until his passing. Frank will be remembered by family and friends for his outgoing and always positive nature, his generosity and kindness, and his life long commitment to service and compassion for others. He was preceded in death by Billie Jean, who died in 2014. The family would like to thank the staff of Brookdale Broadway Cityview of Fort Worth for their kindness and compassionate care of both Frank in the last month of his life and previously Billie Jean in her final years. Survivors: He is survived by his son, Mark Douglas Johnson; daughter, Janis Elaine Johnson; daughter-in-law, Carolyn Warren Johnson; grandchildren, Katherine, Jake and Rosemary Johnson and Ernest Maples IV; and many nieces and nephews.