Jewel Leon Johnson

Jewel Leon Johnson was born to William and Ida B. Johnson February 24, 1926 in Boley, Oklahoma an. all Black town. And passed away on January 3, 2022 in Apple Valley, CA at the age of 95 years. He was number 14 out of 15 Children.

He attended school in the Boley area He went to Rosenwall Elementary School which was a one room school that sat on his parents farm. He attended Boley High school which. was in the town of Boley He played on the Boley High School Basketball A and B Teams and was a very good guard. Jewel grew up on a big farm of 160 acres. They had all kinds of farm animals. He learned at a young age how to care for animals. Being in a large family they had a very large garden. Jewel loved animals and raising a garden. His other love was music and art. He would play the piano and loved sketching pictures of animals. Coming from a very musical family, they would sing every night and have a program. That was their entertainment. This is how Jewel learned to sing and grew to have the most beautiful base voice. However, he could sing and teach all the parts soprano, alto, tenor and base. He taught his children to sing. The Johnsons' would sing as a family group at church.

Jewel was a hard working Man. He started working at age 17 taking care of his Mother and the house whole. Most of his older siblings had left home by then and his father had passed away. He was raised up in the Baptist church. At age 16 he joined the Baptist church. But, then he started going to the Church of God Evening Light Saints. He got saved and join that church too. He met a little cute young lady there. He kept attending that church but, he didn't see the young lady again for sometime.

Then at age of 18 in 1944 he was drafted. into the United States Army, World War IL This was right after the Pearl Harbor bombing in Hawaii. Hawaii was not a state at that time. Most of his Tour of Duty was in Honolulu, 11.1. He would often tell us wonderful stories about his life in. Hawaii. The war ended while he was there so he was never in combat. He had a lot of fun and made lots of friends while in the Army. He became a Sargent and was given the Purple Heart along with other stripes. He was given a honorable discharge in 1946.

After he got out of the Army he went back to the Church of God Evening Light Saints. He saw that young lady again and they became friends. Her name was Odessa Droke. After dating for two years they got married on July 17, 1949. To this union three children were born. They lived in Oklahoma. City, OK and bad their first born: :Luvenia. Then they moved to Bakersfield, CA,, then they moved to Los Angeles, C.A. They decided California wasn't the place for them so they came back to Okeene, OK and had two more children: Travis and Lucinda. They lived on one of his Father-in-law's three farms. It consisted of 160 acres. He became a Wheat Farmer and Dairyman. And of course he had plenty of farm animals: Cows. Pigs, sheep, chickens etc. There came a big drought in Oklahoma, which made it hard to make a living on the farm. The younger folks were starting to leave the farm life and moved to the big cities. In 1955 Jewel moved his family to the big city of Wichita, KS. They bought a home and settled down. He worked a short while at Wesley Hospital as a Janitor. Then he went to Cudahy Meat Packing Company where he worked for 15 years. He and his family joined the Wichita Church of God Evening Light Saints Under the leadership of the late Pastor Lewis William. Jewel was appointed Adult Sunday School Teacher. He held that position for a number of years. In the late 60's things begin to change for his job at Cudahy. They were talking about closing the whole place down. It was time to make another chary. He and his wife began to prepare to move away. They decided to let a young family with small children assume their loan on the home. They kept the 15 acres Jewel and his wife had bought out east of Wichita. That is where he kept his many animals. All the animals had to be sold

In later years after moving away they sold the 15 acres also. Cudahy did eventually close down.

After some prayer and talks with God, December 1970 the Johnson family moved to San Bernardino, CA. and bought a home. Jewel soon had a job working for the County of San Bernardino as a Janitor. He also, opened his own business Johnson's Gardening Service_ He would put in yards, take out yards, take out trees, etc. He was especially good at trimming hedges and shrubs. He could really make yards look beautiful.

While living in San Bernardino, the Johnson family joined the Church of God Evening Light Saints under the leadership of the late Pastor Calvin Hobbs. Jewel became the Youth Choir Director for a short while. However, the Pastor in Oakland Church of God Evening Light Saints wanted Jewel and his family to help in her church. After much prayer about the situation, the family decided to sell their home and move to Oakland, California in April 1977, with the exception of his son, Travis who was married and had a child by then. So away he went with his wife and two daughters to Northern. California. They joined the Church of God Evening Light Saints in Oakland, CA under the

leadership of the late Pastor Velma Smith and Associate Pastor Ronald liattley. Jewel was voted in as the Head Deacon and President of the Trustee Board. }[is oldest daughter Luvenia was appointed the church Secretary. His wife was one of the ministers and was appointed as the Sunday School Super intendant. Jewel obtained a job working at the Naval Base in Alameda, CA as a Janitor. He also moved his Gardening Service business to the Bay Area and opened a new business called J.L. Johnson Building Maintenance Service. He would clean office buildings. While living in Oakland Jewel and his wife bought three properties: First a small house that they lived in for a short while and sold to a young couple that needed a home to start their family. Then they bought a larger home that they lived in for a short while, and then rented it out and eventually sold that property. Last they bought a 4-plea that they lived in for quite a long time renting part of it out and remolding it into a large home. Jewel and his wife Odessa lived in Oakland 26 years.

Jewel retired in 1991. But, he still had a will to work. So he picked up a little job at night cleaning Super Markets parking lots. All the children were married and liad went their separate ways so he and his wife, Odessa started talking about moving to Southern California's High Desert. Jewel wanted to get back to what he loved most. Raising and caring for animals and growing a garden. And they wanted to help their son, Travis and wife Alice who had opened a new church out on Baldy Mesa in Victorville, CA. They moved to Hesperia, CA in March 2002 along with their oldest daughter and her son who came to help with the move and care for her parents. They joined their son's church, which was Church of God Evening Light Saints, under the leadership of Pastors Travis and Alice Johnson.

Jewel and his wife enjoyed living in the High Desert. He raised animals and grew a very large garden. He would give away vegetables to the community. But, unfortunately his wife, Odessa became very ill and passed away in 2007. They enjoyed 57 years and 11 months of a happy and wonderful married life together.

After the death of his wife, Jewel went to live with his daughter Luvenia and her family in Apple Valley, CA. He continued to raise animals, attend his church on Baldy Mesa in

Victorville and he would also attend church with his daughter at Emmanuel Temple CME church in Victorville, CA, under the leadership of Pastor James E. Markham.

While in the Army, jewel started playing the piano, he was self taught and he also learned to type. Being that he was more of a musician, he advanced with the piano rather than the typewriter. He played the piano for many years at his home, Nursing homes, the Lorna Linda Veteran Administration, Emmanuel Temple CME Church and once at a strip mall in Apple Valley, CA on a keyboard entertaining the shoppers. He made a little money that day.

Jewel enjoyed and loved his family, especially his wife Odessa, the love of his life and his children, grandchildren and great-grandsons. He loved people and would help anyone.

He was known as the gentle man with the beautiful smile and the favorite good looking Uncle that drove the Cadillac. He did drive Cadillacs for a number of years. As he

became older most people fondly referred to him as Dad. He had the perfect name Jewel. He was truly a Jewel. He will be greatly missed.

Jewel was preceded in death by his wife, Delores Odessa Johnson, son, Travis Lavon

Johnson, his parents and all his siblings except his youngest brother. He leaves to cherish his memory, two daughters: Luvenia Johnson-Ivy, Apple Valley, CA, Lucinda (Jarvio) Grevious, Rancho Murieta, CA, one daughter-in-law, Alice P. Johnson, Oak Hills, CA,

one brother: Leo Johnson, Muskogee, OK, eight grandchildren, three great grandsons. A host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends.