Timothy Dorane Johnson

Captain Timothy Dorane Johnson, United States Army Reserve - a man of deep faith, fierce loyalty, and larger-than-life imagination - left his earthly life on Monday, October 23, 2023. He was just 54. He was born on a Monday, too. At 7:35am on August 11, 1969, he arrived in Alexandria, Louisiana at Baptist Hospital. He was baptized, awake and smiling, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Colfax. Perhaps it was at that moment when Tim's devotion to Christ and the Catholic Church came to be. Maybe it was later, as he received his first Holy Communion or attended St. Joseph's High School in Santa Maria, California. But certainly Tim's faith and commitment to the Church was a guiding light for many. He was godfather to his two nephews, Trey and Keith, and his niece, Kaitlynn, and traveled down from Pennsylvania to Arkansas for each of their Baptisms. Many have credited him with helping them remain steadfast in their faith and in the Church. He was devoted to praying the Rosary, attending Mass, and studying the Catechism. Tim was most recently a parishioner of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He was a 3rd degree member in the Knights of Columbus, always honored to be a part of that devoted and historic Church brotherhood. Honor and loyalty were also his watchwords. Tim believed in Truth. He believed in Justice. He really saw himself as a protector, and we all saw him that way, too. He studied Criminal Justice first at Alan Hancock Community College and then graduated from Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana in 1997 after joining the ROTC unit. He'd already joined the Louisiana National Guard during Desert Storm. Tim served in the US Army Reserve for the remainder of his life. He held multiple commands and had numerous deployments throughout his career, his final being to Kuwait for nearly two years. He was an officer of the Natchitoches Police. This part of Tim's life, while focused on protecting the community and serving his nation, was peppered with wild adventures. Once, a turkey vulture dive bombed straight through his windshield. And during a car chase, Tim and his police partner realized shooting out tires of an escaping vehicle doesn't work like it seems to in the movies. From Natchitoches, Tim moved on to Fort Polk (now called Fort Johnson), where he was a police officer. While serving there, God nudged Tim to join the Pentagon Police Force. But more than a new career was awaiting him. Training for the Pentagon Police took Tim to Brunswick, Georgia. Shortly after arriving, he got directions to go to a local spot for an errand. The directions were bad, but the result was good - while trying to find his destination, he met his future wife, April. She gave him correct directions, but she'd made an impression, and he came back once more that day. They became instant friends. Though Tim was very focused on his job training during this time, he and April tried to see each other often. They attended church and went out to eat. Just before Tim graduated from Pentagon Police training, he asked for April's hand in marriage. They were married in a civil service and then were married in the Church in 2014. During these adventures, Tim's sense of fun and imagination were running like a thread through it all. Technology and machines were always on Tim's mind, whether he was building his own computers or stripping down and reassembling a Honda motorcycle in the living room of his college apartment. When most residents in early-1990s Dry Prong, Louisiana had rotary phones that operated on a party line, Tim decided he wanted to purchase and install Caller ID for his family. This was technology that was years ahead of anything their neighbors used. Papaw Johnson was thrilled to shock callers by greeting them by name before they even spoke. The allure of technology sparked Tim's imagination. He loved science fiction and was especially fond of all things Star Wars. With his baby brother Ray due soon after the theatrical release of Star Wars: A New Hope, Tim tried to convince his mother to name his new sibling Luke Skywalker Johnson. He did not succeed. There were other favorite movies and shows that played to his sense of adventure. His most-watched show list reads like a 1980s - '90s pop culture hit parade: Star Trek, Magnum P.I., Airwolf, Miami Vice, the Indiana Jones and Monty Python movies. Those bold, heroic late 20 th century stories really spoke to Tim, as his brother Ray remembers fondly. The two brothers were about eight years apart. When a 17-year-old Tim slipped on his Members Only jacket and fired up his 1984 Buick Grand National, 9-year-old Ray would always want to go for a ride. No matter how cold the weather, they'd jump in the car, roll the windows down, and turn the heater on high. They'd fly around those Santa Maria streets with Huey Lewis and the News cranked up so Ray could sing along as loud as he wanted. Those Who Went Before A family man, Tim was especially close with his grandparents Antoine A. Conques and Dorothy J. Conques, Sam J. Johnson and Maudine C. Johnson. Dorothy Conques, called Granny by the family, cherished having Tim and his mother Theresa live in the Conques home for the first five years of his life. His Johnson-side grandparents - Papaw and Little Mamaw - loved having him come to their family fish fries. Tim was also preceded in death by his child Valentine Johnson - he will surely enjoy being united with his unborn child in Heaven. Those He Left Behind Tim is survived by his loving wife April Johnson and her mother Sandra Johns, who lived in the home with Tim and April for nearly all of their marriage. His parents are Theresa and Felix Johnson and Tom Brown. They are enduring deep anguish - especially his mother Theresa, who spoke to Tim nearly every single day of all of his 54 years on Earth. His brother Ray Johnson knows he has lost a sheepdog and so has the world. Tim's sister-in-law Lisa Johnson and her parents Keith and Deena Erni will grieve each holiday where he is absent and each story that is told without his laughing response. Tim's niece and nephews, Lynn, Trey, and Keith "KJ" Johnson - his godchildren - cherished every outing they shared with him and will miss his wry jokes. Finally, he will be mourned by his sister Shannon Johnson, his aunts and uncles - Gloria Brown, Gus Johnson, Joel and Karen Johnson, Hoyt and Sarah Johnson, and Dianne Johnson - and friends too numerous to mention by name. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 1:30 PM on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church.

Timothy Dorane Johnson

August 11, 1969 - October 23, 2023