Tony Douglas Johnson

Happy Birthday, Tony

eve — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:16:57 +0000

I dreamed last night that I was singing Happy Birthday to Randy, and that he and I both knew that I meant it for Tony. Then I gave him a big hug. Even though I think dreams are usually the aftermath of rich food or stress, it amazes me what they pull from our subconscious.

Today we are listening to music all day in our home. Sophie and Sabina are practicing their piano in your honor, Tony. They also wanted to draw because they remember how much you loved art. They are making cards for their Grandma.

A couple of weeks ago there was a concert marathon on TV to increase awareness of global warming. There was the usual line up of bands, but when Spinal Tap took the stage with Metallica and about half a dozen bass players to play Big Bottom, I wanted to call you so badly and hear you laugh about it!

I miss you and think about you every day –

Tony’s Music

bob — Mon, 28 May 2007 03:58:45 +0000

We’ve started putting Tony’s music online. Click on “Tony’s Music” along the top navigation bar and see what we’ve got. Most browsers should be able to play this just fine. Please let me know if you have any problems playing the songs. Thanks.

For those of you who missed the service…

bob — Thu, 24 May 2007 23:58:45 +0000

John Dove was kind enough to scan the programs and send them to us… Click to view full size.

Site News

bob — Thu, 24 May 2007 11:59:24 +0000

We added a number of photos from the 60s and 70s this morning. We hope to add more this evening. Audio and video probably won’t be added until the weekend, as it takes much longer to process.

Someone kindly pointed out the existence of an inappropriate banner on the photo gallery page. This has been removed. Banners are chosen based on content, and photo gallery pages don’t have any content for the ad machine to “read” so you never know what kind of ads you’re going to get on the photo page. Just to be safe, I turned them off entirely for the photo page.

Mailing address for the family

bob — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:47:58 +0000

If you’d like to send condolences to the family, here’s the address:

Doug and Jessie Johnson
1849 Buttonwood Ct
Harrisonburg, VA 22802

Full Obituary

bob — Tue, 22 May 2007 09:54:48 +0000

(from today’s Harrisonburg Daily News Record)

Tony D. Johnson, 44

Tony Douglas Johnson, 44, of Harrisonburg, died Sunday, May 20, 2007, at his home.

Mr. Johnson was born July 25, 1962, in Harrisonburg, and was a son of Hugh and Jessie Dean Johnson of Harrisonburg.

He graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School in 1980. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and was a guitarist and songwriter.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by two sons, Joshua and Samuel Johnson; a daughter, Hannah Johnson; a brother, Randy Johnson of Harrisonburg; and a sister, Eve German of Fredericksburg.

Pastors Merle Shank and Tim McAvoy will conduct a graveside service 2 p.m. Wednesday at Beaver Creek Cemetery near Montezuma.

Arrangements are by Kyger Funeral Home in Harrisonburg.

Early Obituary

bob — Tue, 22 May 2007 02:25:55 +0000

From today’s Harrisonburg Daily News Record:

Tony D. Johnson, 45

Tony Douglas Johnson, 45, of Harrisonburg, died Sunday, May 20, 2007, at his home.

Funeral arrangements were pending Sunday night at the Kyger Funeral Home in Harrisonburg.

As I understand it, the bigger obituary will be printed in tomorrow’s paper, and will likely give the details on the funeral service.

Yes, it’s true.

bob — Mon, 21 May 2007 19:36:44 +0000

Tony Johnson of Harrisonburg, Virginia passed away yesterday. The cause of death was a massive heart attack. He was found by his parents at about 5:00 PM.

Please leave comments and momentos here. Anyone with photos or recordings of Tony should get in touch with me to have them presented here for posterity.

Bob German (bobgerman@bobgerman.com)