Retired Air Force Captain and schoolteacher SJ Johnson—“Daddy” to his daughters, “Pops” to his youngest children and Las Vegas community—was welcomed home by the ancestors on October 17, 2021, at the age of 82. He was embraced by his mother Cora Hamilton & dad Harold Dudley Sr, as well as his brothers, Robert “Bobby” Dudley, James Cooksey, Roy Dudley, Ralph Dudley, Harold Dudley Jr., Donald Dudley Sr, and Carl Bruce Dudley; his sisters Evelyn Davis, Juanita, and Elnora; and his daughter, Sharon Johnson
SJ is survived by his sisters Anne Ward and Janet Portis, his children Kimberley Johnson-Marcus, Kerry Johnson-Hahn, Timothy Johnson, Kelly Davis, Morgan Evans-Johnson, and Sin à Tes Souhaits (formerly Frank Johnson), and grandchildren Alex Johnson, Milo Marcus, Aaron Marcus, and Liza Marcus.
SJ began his life September 30, 1939 on the family farm in Indianapolis, Indiana, born to Cora Hamilton & raised alongside his 12 siblings by Mr. Harold Dudley Sr. SJ left the farm in 1956 to join the Air Force after setting his ambitions on a college degree & some way to satisfy his curiosity about global cultures. “I knew there was so much out there, and I wanted to see it,” he would often say.
And he did see it. During his 30 year career, he rose through the ranks to become among the first Black Captains in the Air Force. He got that college degree in Black studies. He traveled through Europe, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and the South Pacific. And as he was fond of saying, he “done it all on Uncle Sam’s dime.” Everywhere he went, he took with him a vibrant sense of humor, youthful curiosity, and a deep love of learning. In fact he spoke six languages fluently at one point in his life. And he never stopped asking questions. “You learn something new every day,” was more than something he said often. It was an aspiration for him, and something he wished for others.
After he retired, he went back to school to get his Masters in education & pursue his new passion—teaching young people to read. He worked as a 4th grade teacher and then elementary school vice principal for almost 10 more years. Pops devoted his life to helping Black kids get an education, and to making life better for the young people around him. He did this for a simple reason: “Because that’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to help others. We’re supposed to take care of each other. You’re supposed to leave things better than you find them.”
SJ left this place, and everyone whose life he touched, a little better than he found them. He left us his stories, his lessons, & his spirit, all of which will live forever.
