Gary William Johnson
Gary William Johnson, born at the Alameda Naval Airbase in Oakland California in 1945, passed away peacefully in Lake St Louis Missouri on July 11, 2024, with family at his side.
As a baby, his family relocated to Corpus Christi Texas, where Gary grew up playing sports, goofing around with his brothers, and frequently hunting and fishing so they could put meat on the table. One of his first jobs was working in the produce section of the local grocery store, where he developed an affinity for fresh fruit, which he ate at every meal possible. In 1963, he graduated from W.B. Ray High School, and went on to the University of Texas to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business. After graduating, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and married his first wife Grace, with whom he was with for twelve years and had his three sons. Soon after his first son Chris was born, Gary was called up to a tour of duty in Vietnam.
Following his active duty, Gary and his family moved to St. Louis, and he enjoyed a long career selling insurance for Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Met Life. He also joined the Marines Reserves, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, ultimately serving 29 total years and making life-long friends. For fun, Gary was an avid golfer and reader, playing golf with friends at some of the best courses in the world, and at one time, he and his wife owned over 3,000 books.
In 1981, he married Carolyn Louise Kuciejczyk, and after a few years they moved to Ellisville. Together, they loved going to shows at the MUNY and Stages; going to SLU, Cardinals, and Rams games; enjoying the Botanical Gardens, Zoo and other parks with family; helping fundraise for Carolyn’s alma mater; and spending time with and bragging about their family, especially their grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Throughout his life, Gary never met a stranger. He could and would talk to anyone and everyone he came into contact with; sharing stories or listening to others, trying to find small ways to make a connection, or just brighten someone’s day with an unexpected compliment. He would also humbly help others as he could, whether it was helping take care of his widowed neighbors’ yards, making dozens of care packages for families in need for different holidays, or leading the Marine’s Toys for Tots program, frequently buying multiple shopping carts of toys to help fill in the gap for needed toys. As his final gift to others, Gary donated brain tissue samples to the National Ataxia Foundation for their research, and his body to SLU Medical School.
He is predeceased by his wife Carolyn, his parents, DD and Marge, and his sister, Judith. Gary is survived in the memories of his three sons and their wives, Chris (Carolyn), Peter (Rita), and Jon; brothers, Alan (Brooke) and Paul; brother and sisters-in-law Joseph, Janet and Madonna (Tom); beloved grandchildren, Katie (Jeremy), Ben, Sanjay, Andrew, Amiya, Connor, Sarah, and Michael; two great grandchildren Amelia and Lucas; his nephews and nieces Paul Jr., Kimberly, Carly, Joseph III, David, and Claire; and his numerous friends from the Marines, his career, his neighborhood, and all other walks of life.
The family thanks the Cottages of Lake St Louis for their kindness and care during the past six month, and the Sarah Community before then. His time with us is now our memories.
In consideration of family schedules, a Memorial Mass immediately followed by a reception, is scheduled for Saturday December 28, 10am, at St Alban Roe (2001 Shepard Rd, Glencoe, MO), his and Carolyn’s parish for 40-years; and a small informal gathering in Kerrville will be planned for some future date.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the National Ataxia Foundation (Ataxia.org).
Gary and I met in late 1974, when, as a student at University of Missouri-Columbia on the G.I. Bill, I need a part-time job to make extra money. As a former Maine lieutenant I figured I could make good money doing one reserve meeting a month. So I drove to St. Louis to a USMC Reserve meeting and stood in the hallway in my coat and tie waiting for the early morning chaos to die down before approaching someone. It was one of the best things I ever did as I met one of my best friends of 50 years. While I was waiting, a captain came up to me and asked if he could be of help. I told him I was interested becoming a member of the Reserve unit. He looked at me, smiled and said, “You dumb s—t!” Over the years I often reminded him of how he greeted me that day. Gary and and I saw each other at least once a month at Reserve meetings, sometimes me staying at his house on those weekends, and interacted for two weeks at a time during summer training. I have so many stories about him to tell it would take pages, and I shared some of those stories with his son Peter in long telephone conversations after Gary died. Even after I left Missouri for a job in Florida, we kept in contact, and as I traveled I sometimes managed to stay over at St. Louis to visit with him. I still fondly remember one long July 4th weekend with him and Carolyn visiting the Arch and watching the fireworks. The last time I saw him was when he and Carolyn stopped by my home for lunch on their way to a Florida Beach. And once I went with him and his sons to Disney World when they came down my way. But we spoke on the phone at least one a week in his later years, and by e-mail until he couldn’t type any more. Gary’s courage in his illness was an inspiration to me when I sometimes complained about my old-age aches and pains. I felt ashamed I complained when he had to endure so much. When I saw an e-mail from Peter in my in box, I knew it was bad news and, after several minutes staring at the e-mail heading, I had to walk away from the computer without opening it. Finally, I worked up the nerve to come back and read it. I don’t cry often, but I did that day. Gary was a wonderful guy and he still lives in the hearts of his now large family and in mine.