EULOGY READ AT THE FUNERAL FOR JOE JOHNSON, March 22, 2002   Lisa wanted to share these thoughts and words about her loving husband, Joe.    First as a juvenile probation officer in Michigan, and later as a trial lawyer in Florida, Joe Johnson devoted his professional life to helping those who needed a second chance. Even in his last months with us, he kept his mind and legal knowledge well honed, to be ready to return to the practice of law and to the people whom the law is supposed to serve. He never lost his own resolve that somehow, someday, he would return to those who needed him.  If you were a part of Joe’s life, you knew it. Joe cared, he was also tough and he held people accountable. Angie, one of the nurses who cared for him for many years, recently said, “Joe had such an impact on everyone who came in contact with him.” Despite his personal medical challenges, Joe never lost the ability to live outside himself and to connect with others. He didn’t withdraw into his own problems as many people do. Instead he maintained his sense of humor and continued to express his love and support to those around him.  Joe never complained or felt sorry for himself. Whenever he had an opportunity to feel alive, he grabbed it with both hands. He accepted the realities of his medical problems and the limits they placed on him. But rather than giving in to them, he took a practical approach, and worked with them, not around them, Nobody who knew Joe - and certainly not Joe himself-ever thought of him as in invalid or a shut-in. It just didn’t make sense in his case. His positive spirit and love of life made such thoughts impossible.  Like all of us, Joe knew that his time in this life was finite. But he was too busy with living to worry about death.  He worked hard at taking care of himself and doing things for others. He understood that the little things mattered. a kind word, a good laugh, a meal shared, special days remembered, a loving chat with Lisa at the end of every day.  In the final days of his time with us, he was looking forward to his family visiting him and Lisa in Florida the week after Easter. He was already preparing grocery lists for the meals he would cook for them. That visit will still take place, even though the cooking cannot possibly be as good. In life, as in cuisine, Joe added a special spice that was uniquely his own.  Joe was not one to talk about his achievements, but they were many and they changed so many lives for the better. He was always quietly proud of his service in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Like so many veterans of that era, he suffered the loss of friends. It’s a unique sense of loss, one that perhaps only a veteran can fully understand.  Returning to civilian life, Joe Johnson became one of the best juvenile probation officers that the state of Michigan has ever seen. He took extraordinary efforts to ensure his state wards had the best chance to succeed. He was tough and they knew it. But he also loved them like no one else had loved them before. He knew how to connect with people and they responded. Joe was always willing to buck the system if necessary to support the needs of the state wards entrusted to his care.  Among his many accomplishments, there are at least two that really give us insight into what Joe’s life means to us. One of them was going to law school in his forties and passing the Florida Bar exam - one of the nation’s toughest - on the first try. It was the fulfillment of a life-long dream. During his all-too-brief practice in Florida, he continued to fight for those who could not defend themselves. Joe could have pursued a high- paying career in a big law firm representing some of the biggest and most powerful corporations. Instead, he remained true to his commitment to helping people, and, in so doing, remained true to himself  Joe never gave up the dream of practicing law. Even as medical challenges and failing eyesight constrained him, he continued to keep his legal knowledge and skills up to date. He read four newspapers every day, including the GR Press, and kept abreast of new developments in the law, politics and world events. To do otherwise to resign himself to disability would not have been Joe’s way.  “To thine own self  be true.” How often we heard Joe say that!  The other single accomplishment in Joe’s life was to see his son, Joe Thomas, grow to manhood and become a wonderful father himself.  Joe Johnson was tough and courageous and he loved to laugh. Like his parents and his siblings, Joe could always see the humor and joy in life. Anyplace where Joe Johnson was,  became a place of joy and laughter. His teasing and lightheartedness were contagious. And he laughed the loudest at himself  Like his family, Joe Johnson possessed a deep, intensely private faith. Just as everyone knew where they stood with Joe, so too did Joe know where he stood with God. A practical, realistic person, he knew that as his medical condition worsened, he had to be ready to depart this life. While making his peace with God, he nonetheless continued to prepare for life by giving every­thing he had to enrich the lives of the many people in his life.  These gifts of love, caring and determination are his legacy and his farewell blessing to all of us.  Joe was an avid baseball fan. Even in baseball, Joe pulled for the underdog, being a Cubs fan. Joe’s seven year old nephew, Travis, said a few days ago, “Uncle Joe has two legs now and he’s playing baseball with the best of them.” I think we can all take some comfort in that.  

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