Comments on: For those of you who missed the service… http://www.tonydouglasjohnson.com/archives/16 July 25, 1962 - May 20, 2007 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:17:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: John http://www.tonydouglasjohnson.com/archives/16#comment-9 John Sun, 27 May 2007 23:41:31 +0000 http://www.tonydouglasjohnson.com/?p=16#comment-9 Like Eve, I cannot find a starting point to relay thoughts and memories about my friend Tony. So, random as they may be, here they are, poured out on paper. I first met Tony at John C. Myers Middle School. I heard him play guitar and sing at that time when he was all of what...13? He blew me away. He blew everybody away. He made young girls swoon. People should appreciate the context here. Child/young prodigies may be found around every corner today, pushing the envelope of talent, intellect and other achievement. They weren't nearly so common 30 years ago. But there WAS one. His name was Tony Johnson. Tony's talent was apparent to everyone that ever heard him play. But to his classmates and his closer friends, he was so much more than that. He was a great friend. Always willing to listen to someone's problem, offering helpful advice when he could, and often adding levity with his silly, spotaneous, and at times, genious sense of humor. He knew how to crack people up when they needed it and when they didn't. To me, what was genious about his humor was that is wasn't really ever the same, it was always something a little different; always original. He didn't have a "schtick;" he was just in-the-moment funny, whatever the situation happened to be. The one other thing I remember about Tony was that he was a natural born leader. I don't ever remember Tony not knowing what to do in any given situation. Almost without exception, he knew. He was a moral compass for people. He followed his convictions. I regret that we drifted apart in our adult lives, as most childhood friends do. I had been thinking about Tony the past few months; thinking that I should go see him, maybe get out the guitars again just for fun. I could have never dreamed that there would be so little time to do that. He was my friend and I will miss him. John Dove <i>I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until she hangs like a speck on the horizon. Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" Gone? Where? The loss of sight is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!" And that is dying. — Henry Van Dyke</i> Like Eve, I cannot find a starting point to relay thoughts and memories about my friend Tony. So, random as they may be, here they are, poured out on paper.

I first met Tony at John C. Myers Middle School. I heard him play guitar and sing at that time when he was all of what…13? He blew me away. He blew everybody away. He made young girls swoon. People should appreciate the context here. Child/young prodigies may be found around every corner today, pushing the envelope of talent, intellect and other achievement. They weren’t nearly so common 30 years ago. But there WAS one. His name was Tony Johnson.

Tony’s talent was apparent to everyone that ever heard him play. But to his classmates and his closer friends, he was so much more than that. He was a great friend. Always willing to listen to someone’s problem, offering helpful advice when he could, and often adding levity with his silly, spotaneous, and at times, genious sense of humor. He knew how to crack people up when they needed it and when they didn’t. To me, what was genious about his humor was that is wasn’t really ever the same, it was always something a little different; always original. He didn’t have a “schtick;” he was just in-the-moment funny, whatever the situation happened to be.

The one other thing I remember about Tony was that he was a natural born leader. I don’t ever remember Tony not knowing what to do in any given situation. Almost without exception, he knew. He was a moral compass for people. He followed his convictions.

I regret that we drifted apart in our adult lives, as most childhood friends do. I had been thinking about Tony the past few months; thinking that I should go see him, maybe get out the guitars again just for fun. I could have never dreamed that there would be so little time to do that.

He was my friend and I will miss him.

John Dove

I am standing upon the seashore.

A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until she hangs like a speck on the horizon. Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”

Gone? Where? The loss of sight is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!”

And that is dying.

— Henry Van Dyke

]]> By: eve http://www.tonydouglasjohnson.com/archives/16#comment-8 eve Sun, 27 May 2007 10:28:24 +0000 http://www.tonydouglasjohnson.com/?p=16#comment-8 I have so many memories of Tony that I don't know where to begin. So I'm sure I will be back here, writing them down for a long time. For the first half of my life, Tony was both my brother and my best friend. We have so many shared experiences in our family life and growing up. Tony was a great part of my learning to look outside the boundaries that one might feel born with to see what you would really like to do in the world. This past week I've been thinking about this the most, I guess -- how we were such good friends as teens and how that has shaped my idea of who I am. He always made me feel that he was proud of me, he had such generosity of spirit that sometimes I thought he was incapable of seeing any of my flaws. It's inspiring to be loved like that, it helps you focus on what's wonderful about yourself. In the spirit of Tony, I want to love people the way he loved me. I have so many memories of Tony that I don’t know where to begin. So I’m sure I will be back here, writing them down for a long time. For the first half of my life, Tony was both my brother and my best friend. We have so many shared experiences in our family life and growing up. Tony was a great part of my learning to look outside the boundaries that one might feel born with to see what you would really like to do in the world. This past week I’ve been thinking about this the most, I guess — how we were such good friends as teens and how that has shaped my idea of who I am. He always made me feel that he was proud of me, he had such generosity of spirit that sometimes I thought he was incapable of seeing any of my flaws. It’s inspiring to be loved like that, it helps you focus on what’s wonderful about yourself. In the spirit of Tony, I want to love people the way he loved me.

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