In Loving Memory

We love you and miss you,

Virginia, Jennifer, and Jeremy

Ricky Lynn Johnson
June 19, 1950 - March 20, 2010

Because Your love is better than life my lips will glorify You - Psalm 63

Ricky Lynn Johnson of Antioch, California died Saturday, March 20 2010 while jogging in the hills of the Contra Loma Regional Park. He was 59 years old.

Rick was born on June 19, 1950 in Elk City, Oklahoma to Dewey and Ruby Fern Johnson. In 1956, Dewey and Ruby Fern moved with Rick and his younger brother Kent, to California. Rick became band president at Hueneme High School, and ran varsity track and cross country. In 1965, Rick and Virginia Bean, his future bride, started sitting next to one another in church. They married six years later, on August 14, 1971, while they were attending Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, where Rick also ran for the cross country team.

After graduation, Rick began teaching English and coaching track and cross country at Cabot High School. They returned to California, where Rick worked with the Church of Christ in Inglewood and at Pepperdine University. After their first child, Jennifer was born, Rick and Virginia moved back to Cabot at the request of the superintendent. Rick continued teaching and coaching, and Rick and Virginia's second child, Jeremy, was born two years later. After completing his Master's degree at the University of Arkansas, Rick became a counselor at Cabot Junior High, and continued running.

Rick and Virginia shared a passion for God and for His children. He led singing and worked with children's worship, the youth group at their church. In 1990, Rick answered the call to full time ministry and moved to Houston, TX to be the youth minister at the Sharpstown Church of Christ, which later became the Sugar Grove Church of Christ. Even in the heat of Houston, Rick was running. In 1995, Rick transitioned from youth ministry to worship ministry. He served in Houston until God called again, this time to California. Rick had been serving as minister to the Eastside of Church of Christ in Antioch since 2004 and as a chaplain for the Antioch Police Department. His pace slowed, but he still loved to run in the hills. Rick strived to be Christ to all those he knew, and touched many lives. He will be sorely missed.

Rick is survived by his wife Virginia, children Jennifer Johnson-Leung (Moscow, ID) and Jeremy Johnson (Agoura Hills, CA), mother Ruby Fern (Antioch, CA), brother Kent Johnson (Nashville, TN), grandchildren Kaleb Johnson, Ruby Claire Johnson-Leung, Hannah Johnson-Leung (Moscow, ID) and Welsey Johnson (Agoura Hills, CA), and many aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held on Wednesday at 11 o'clock in the morning at the Eastside Church of Christ in Antioch. Donations may be made to Eastside Church of Christ - Food Pantry, Lifeline Chaplaincy of Houston, Texas, or Orphan’s Lifeline of Hope International.

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Catching Up with the Grandkids

OK, so I haven't posted any grandkid pics lately... mostly because it's been a while since we've been able to be with any of them. Sooo... to remedy that for the few who still check here for anything new, I sneaked over to the kids' sites and borrowed a few recent ones to post.

From Agoura Hills

A grill man... in his dad's footsteps.

Ready for spring!!

You can go here to see a more complete collection of Wes pics, in addition to a couple of cute videos.

From Moscow

Hannah is loving life up north!

Claire and Hannah bundled against the cold.

Kaleb in his second year of hockey. He even scored a goal!!

Likewise, more Leung kid pics are available here. And... a really cool essay by Kaleb can be read here.

Would you Believe...

I guess we all get email forwards, right? You know, some of them are irritating political stuff; some claim God will work a miracle if you'll only forward it on to your 15 best friends; some are dire warnings about some product or habit; others offer helpful hints or interesting paradoxes; many are jokes (some of which are actually funny).

A buddy of mine sent a bunch of newspaper clips, which are all the more funny because they are real. Here are a few of my favorites. Hope you like them as well. Enjoy!

Napa

Last weekend Virginia and I used some use-it-or-lose-it time share points for a couple of nights at a resort in Napa. Pretty nice place. We hiked around in the vineyard before heading home Saturday. Here's some proof. :)

Well known landmark statue of the grape crusher.

Interesting view.

Looking back down at the Vino Bella resort with the Napa Valley in the background.

Update on My Mom

As most of you know, my mom, Ruby Fern, moved here to Antioch on January 1. She stayed with us until we got her new apartment ready at The Commons at Dallas Ranch, and a bunch of family was here to move her in on Saturday, January 16. This pic is with her youngest great grandkid, Hannah. On the following Thursday morning she fell and broke her hip. The details are in the previous post. Anyway, here is part of an email update I sent to family and many of her friends and former students.

This week has been one in which Mom has settled into a pretty good routine. Mornings are taken up with all the getting up stuff, breakfast, and her time in physical and occupational therapy. Afternoons are spent reading, resting, and visiting with those who stop by or call her on the phone. Each day she is able to move around and do more on her own, and her p.t. has her walking with the walker a little farther each day, in addition to the other exercises. Her biggest complaints are how uncomfortable the bed is and the almost constant pain in her back. She’s had back pain since she was a young adult, but right now (either because of the fall or because she has been in bed so much or maybe both) it’s bothering her more than usual, hurting pretty much all the time.

She’s been getting to know the staff pretty well… and, needless to say, they are getting to know her. She has at least one story about something that has happened each day. Several people from church have come by to visit, a few more than once. She has enjoyed a variety of cards from all over the country, and she talks enough on her cell phone that she needs to charge it nightly. :-)

Please continue to pray that Mom heals and is able to get back close to normal in the short term. Thank you for your prayers and your interest.

Back in the Game

Well... I haven't posted much in a while. Much of December we were in Arkansas helping Mom get through a hospital stay for a wound that wouldn't heal and helping her get ready to move here to Antioch. Yes, that's right, after many years of maintaining her persistent independence, Mom decided it was time to move closer to family, so on January 1 she boarded a plane with Virginia and me and flew into the western sunset.

She stayed with us for about 3 weeks, which included a visit from Jennifer and her kids as well as Jeremy, Amber and Wes. Fok was travelling to New York, so he didn't join us, but the rest of us had a blast. Here are a few pics from those few days.

Four generations through Jen's branch of the tree.

And through Jeremy's branch.

Great granddaughter's can learn a thing or two.

Mom moved into her new apartment at The Commons at Dallas Ranch on Saturday, 1/16 and the shot above was taken after church on Sunday. On Thursday morning Mom fell in the bathroom at her place and broke her left hip, actually fracturing the femoral neck. On Sunday morning, after getting the blood thinner out of her system, the surgeon replaced the old "ball" of the hip joint with a brand new metal one. The surgery went well, and recovery has begun. On Thursday she was moved to Diamond Ridge Health Center for rehab... we're calling it boot camp. Hopefully in two or three weeks she will be able to move back to The Commons. Needless to say none of this was expected, so both her and our lives have been pretty hectic... my excuse for the lack of recent posts. :) I'll try to post some more pics soon.

Grandkid Fun

A friend posted a video using this cool web site, so I thought I'd give it a try as well. Enjoy!!

Curious Quotes

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

- Oscar Wilde

The road to hell is paved with adverbs.

- Stephen King

Merry Christmas!!

Johnny and Chachi's Christmas Medley

Another winner from the gang at Igniter Media. Click here for a special medly of Christmas favorites by Johnny and Chachi.

Silent Praise

I think I've posted a link to this clip before, but, in honor of the holiday season and to offer one more holiday chuckle (actually several), I give you the Monks of St Francis de la Sissies.

It's the time of the year when a holiday chuckle seems in order. My friend Wendell shared this one with me. You may have already seen it, but my guess is you will still probably laugh a bit. Click here for your holiday chuckle.

With snow on our Antioch hills recently... with really cold weather in Arkansas where I've been looking in on Mom... with blizzard conditions in some places and likely more on the way... I thought you'd like to see this rare image shared with me by a friend.

Know what it is? Are you sure?

It's actually Frosty the Snowman's baby picture!! 8-)

The Times, They Are A Changin'

My mom, now age 91, has finally decided it's time to give up her car, move from her house, and join us here in sunny California. We are excited about her coming and her new "digs" at The Commons at Dallas Ranch. She is now in the hospital in Searcy, recovering from a leg wound. Here's a pic of her in her room... with her new specs. :-)


One piece of furniture among the few that will stay with someone in the family is this old singer sewing machine that dates back into the early 50's. Note the cool wedding photos from 72 and 78. Were we all really ever that young?

Snow on Them Thar Hills

When I talked to Virginia this morning from here in Arkansas, she told me there was snow on the hills in the regional park behind our neighborhood where we often hike. Then this evening one of our church members sent me these pics. This is the first time in our six years in Antioch that snow has accumulated at so low an elevation. Maybe this means a chilly winter!?!

Arkansas Visit

My mom, Ruby Fern, has been in the hospital in recent days for treatment of a stubborn infection on her leg. I came here to Arkansas to hang out with her and get her ready for a transition to Antioch. More about that later. Here are some phone pics I took last night when Kent, Susan and family were visiting.

Here are Susan, Randi and Ryan.

Mom with Kent and Russell.

Mom explaining something... ever the teacher!

Images of Thanksgiving

Jeremy and Amber hosted their first family Thanksgiving... Virginia and I loved getting to know Wesley better... we all had a blast!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!