Lawrence J Johnson Jr.

Lawrence “Bunky” Johnson, Jr, 92, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away on March 25, 2024. He was born December 23, 1931, in Jacksonville, Florida to Lawrence Johnson, Sr and Etta Johnson. He attended Lee High School and served in the US Army where he received an Occupation Medal for his service in Germany.

Bunky worked for the railroad for 42 years, starting as a trainman in 1952 and retiring from CSX as a conductor. He was an avid Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars fan with season tickets to the Jaguars games for many years. He also enjoyed the Pops Symphony and walked 5 miles a day for years after retiring from the railroad. He volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and helped the homeless of Jacksonville.

Bunky is survived by his wife of 22 years, Marie Johnson, his daughters Jennifer Bailey (Lee) of Cass, WV and Katherine Bible of Jacksonville, FL, his brother, Tim Johnson of Yulee, FL, his sister Mit Pendergraft of Jacksonville Beach, FL, granddaughters Christy Bailey of Jacksonville, FL and Jessica Bailey of Cass, WV, as well as many other beloved family and friends.

Bunky is preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Etta Johnson, and his son-in-law, Fred Bible.

Bunky attended Crown Point Church and had a strong faith that helped him fight Parkinson’s Disease for over 20 years. He is remembered for his friendly demeanor, positive outlook on life, and approached life with strength, courage and determination to accomplish his goals while making friends wherever he went. Family was important to him, and he showed his love to his family every day. His father passed away at a young age and Bunky was known for his loving care of his mother during her remaining years until she succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease in 1997.

The family would like to thank the doctors who treated Bunky at Mayo Clinic following his Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis, in particular neurologists Dr. Wszolek and Dr. Uitti. Bunky was committed to helping find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease by participating in research at Mayo Clinic and made the decision years ago to donate his brain for Parkinson’s research following his passing.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mayo Clinic for Parkinson’s research in memory of Bunky. [philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/page.aspx?pid=1510]

A celebration of life service will be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at Hardage-Giddens Mandarin Chapel at 10 AM with interment at Jacksonville National Cemetery at 1:30 PM.