Edwin Earl Johnson II

Ed Johnson passed peacefully into the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on April 27, 2024, surrounded by his family at the age of 78. Ed fought the good fight during the past four months following a cancer diagnosis. He battled courageously and finished his race.

Many knew Ed by his distinctive radio voice. With 38 years on the KEOM-FM airwaves in Mesquite ISD, he and Steve Glenn were a broadcast team that brought Mesquite athletes and coaches to listeners far and wide. Ed also regularly interviewed school district and city leaders about topics important to the Mesquite community, as well as interviewing athletic directors and coaches. His advocacy for Mesquite students was unwavering.

Early in his career, many knew Ed as Coach Johnson, the program-founding baseball coach at North Mesquite High School in the early 1970s. Ed went on to become the head football coach, athletic director, and business administrator at First Baptist Academy in Dallas, where his football teams played in two state championship games and amassed a 17-game unbeaten streak. He also coached at LaVega High School, Forney High School, and Mesquite High School. Ed later taught mathematics at Poteet High School and Mesquite Academy.

Still others came to know Ed outside of schools, through his service and leadership in the churches he attended with his wife, Ginny. From driving buses to church camps in Texas and Oklahoma, to leading deacons and church steering committees, to serving as a Sunday school teacher and director, Ed focused on bringing people closer to God, using his unique talents and gentle communication style. He also briefly served as church business administrator at First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida. And, during a brief retirement from public education, Ed returned to First Baptist Academy in Dallas to once again serve as the school’s business administrator. He also served on the First Baptist Academy board of trustees.

While attending W.W. Samuell High School, Ed met his future wife, Ginny Fuller. Later during their college years, the two would marry on a snowy January night at First Baptist Church Dallas in 1966. Ed and Ginny remained married for 58 years, and they did everything together - from spending Friday nights in the pressbox, to leading church classes, to taking trips to baseball stadiums, presidential libraries, and national parks. The couple welcomed a son (David) in 1969, and a daughter (Robin) in 1973. The childhood activities and adult careers of his children were a constant point of pride for Ed. He rarely missed a game, performance, or event, including those of his grandchildren, and he called many of those games on KEOM radio.

Edwin Earl Johnson II was born on August 9, 1945 in Dallas, Texas to Edwin Earl Johnson and May Jean Johnson. Ed and his dad shared a love of baseball and horses, and the two were baptized together at Pleasant Grove First Baptist Church when Ed was 10 years old. Ed attended John Quincy Adams Elementary and S.S. Conner Junior High before graduating from W.W. Samuell High School in Dallas in 1963, where he excelled in academics and also earned multiple letters in football and baseball. Ed went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from his beloved Baylor University, and he played baseball for the Baylor Bears freshman team. He also earned a master’s degree from East Texas State University.

Ed Johnson was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin Earl Johnson and May Jean Johnson. He is survived by wife of 58 years, Ginny Johnson; son David Johnson and wife, Dana; daughter Robin McCartney and husband, Marc; grandaughters Macy McCartney, Jacey Johnson, Mallory McCartney, and Cady Johnson; brother-in-law Jim Fuller and wife Pat; sister-in-law Ann Coffman and husband Bill.

Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 7 at First Baptist Church Dallas in Truett Chapel, 1707 San Jacinto St., Dallas, Texas 75201.