Ted Johnson Jr.

Ted Johnson was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Ted was born on November 19, 1934 at Tahlequah City Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. His parents were Ted Sr. and Lily Johnson. Ted was raised in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and Army Bases along Texas and West Coast. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Johnson household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Ted was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Ted was raised with one sibling. He had one younger sister Carolyn. Ted was constantly involved in activities with sister. Ted and his sibling may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Ted was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Ted was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Ted developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. He was a Boy Scout and a member of 4H. In his spare time he liked walking to the river, fishing and anything outdoors. However, what Ted enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Ted as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Tahlequah Central High School in 1953. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was Journalism. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Ms. Marie Hicks. Ted was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Ted always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Ted handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Ted was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Ted was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Ted well during his college experience. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Drafting from Northeastern State University.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Ted was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Ted was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Ted to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Glen Shapely and Roy Stroup.

On December 23, 1955 Ted exchanged wedding vows with Rose Jeaneen Wehnes at the Grace Methodist Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Compassionate and devoted to Jeaneen, Ted held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Jeaneen and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Ted brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Ted was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Ted was blessed with two children, two sons Terry and Randy. They were also blessed with four grandchildren, Brandon, Brooke, Cody, Cory.

Ted greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Ted enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Ted was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Teacher. He was employed for several years as principal/teacher in the Sapulpa area. Ted worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Ted liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Ted always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were fishing, hunting, wood work, being grandma's chauffer. Ted was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Many organizations were grateful to have Ted as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Ted was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Ted was a member of the band. In college, Ted joined the Sigma Pau Gamma Fraternity. Throughout his later years, Ted was an active member of the Boy Scouts (district executive of Boy Scouts in Tulsa, OK).

As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that Ted was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Ted preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. Ted was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. Ted was a member of several community groups, including serving on committees for theLions Club.

Ted enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Ted appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Ted always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included any place to hunt.

Ted was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Ted’s favorites was Coby, a benji dog. They were best friends for 3 yrs. His family was rounded out by his multiple cats and dogs throughout his life.

When Ted’s retirement finally arrived in 1994, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to Gore, Oklahoma on the river. In retirement, he found new pleasure in anything outdoors, riding four wheeler. Even in retirement, Ted continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Ted Johnson passed away on August 26, 2010 at Sparks Medical Center Ft. Smith, Arkansas. He is survived by his wife Jeaneen, his sister Carolyn, his Children Terry and Randy, his grandchildren Brandon, Brooke, Cody, and Cory and 6 great grandchildren. Services were held at Reed-Culver Funeral Home. Ted was laid to rest in Tahlequah City Cemetery Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Ted Johnson. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

Ted Johnson Jr. was born in Tahlequah, OK to Theodore William Sr. and Lily (Spurgeon) Johnson on November 19, 1934. He passed from this life on August 26, 2010 in Ft. Smith, AR at the age of 75 years, 9 months, and 7 days.

Ted loved his family and enjoyed the time he spent with them. Ted was a teacher all of his life and touched the lives of many. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Ted was preceded in death by parents and 1 brother Fred Johnson.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Jeaneen Johnson of the home in Gore; 2 sons: Terry Johnson of Locust Grove and Randy Johnson and wife Katrena of Broken Arrow; 1 sister: Carolyn Rodgers and husband Tommy of Bakersfield, CA; 4 grandchildren: Brandon Johnson, Brooke Myers, Cody Johnson, and Cory Johnson and 6 great grandchildren. Many nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives also survive him.

Services will be 2:00 p.m. Monday August 30, 2010 at the Reed-Culver Funeral Chapel in Tahlequah with Brooke Myers and Brandon Johnson speaking. Interment will follow in the Tahlequah City Cemetery under the direction of Reed-Culver Funeral Home. Please sign the online guestbook at www.reedculver.com.