Kenneth Creighton Johnson, Jr.

A hard working handy man, Ken Johnson, Jr. was a man who loved his wife and daughters but he lived for his grandchildren and knew they were his biggest reward in life. It was a struggle at times for his family to watch such a great man being taken away from them by dementia, but Ken leaves many wonderful memories behind for his family.

With the ending of WWII, Kenneth C., Sr. and Eva M. (Roche) Johnson were happy to announce the birth of their first born child, Kenneth Creighton Johnson, Jr. on September 24, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up in the Brooklyn area, he was able to escape the city life and go hunting and fishing. At the age of 16, he and his family moved to Bristol, Ind. where he started working with his father building trailers and campers for a few years. While attending a country concert in the spring of 1965 at Buck Lake Ranch in Angola, Ken would run into the lady who would forever change his life. Within a few months, the young couple knew they were destined to spend the rest of their lives together and would be married on October 25, 1965 in White Pigeon, Mich. The newlywed couple made Constantine, Michigan their first home together before moving back to Bristol, Indiana. After they were expecting their first born child, Janet, they moved to Columbia City, where Sandys family all lived.

He worked at the Blue Bell Factory and a foundry in Columbia City before working at Dana Weatherhead, retiring in 2004. Ken was the last employee to walk out of the building and closed the doors for the last time as the factory had been bought out. He went on to work part time over the next several years at Bradens, was a janitor with Passages and an independent carpenter that enjoyed remodeling.

He was a skilled woodworker, he enjoyed sitting on his porch watching the world go by and mowing his lawn, which was very important to him to have a nice looking yard. He found comfort in listening to the classic country with his favorite musician being Kitty Wells. Both he and Sandy enjoyed attending the classic country concerts together. Each year Ken enjoyed his annual deer hunting trip to the U.P. in Michigan.

After raising his daughters, he was so excited when his first grandchild was born that he became Papa from there on out. Ken may have been strict at times, but it was always because he loved and cared about his family.

At the age of 71, Ken Johnson, Jr. passed away at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne on Sunday, December 17, 2017. He had been a member of the Eagles. Survivors include his loving wife of 52 years, Sandra Johnson; daughters, Janet (Wayde) Draper, of South Whitley and Deb (Scott) Fairchild, of Columbia City; grandchildren, Shelby and Jordon Fairchild and Jeremiah Draper; siblings, Larry Johnson, of New York; Christine (Donald) Schrader, of Michigan, Andrew (Barb) Johnson, of Michigan and Sharon (Dan) Felice, of Indiana; and sister-in-law, Kay Helfrich, of Columbia City. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Dane Johnson.

Visitation will take place from 9-10:45 a.m. Saturday, December 23, 2017 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. with Pastor Thomas Beers officiating. Burial will follow at Union Township Cemetery. Memorials may be given in his memory to the Alzheimers Association. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send family condolences.