Terry M. Johnson, 60, passed away peacefully on January 4, 2021 while living in Barstow, CA. Terry was born in Omaha, NB in 1960 to Letha Heinen and Van Nowak, both of Kansas. Terry moved to Rio Linda, CA with his mother and sister, Dawn, in 1969. He graduated from Rio Linda High School, class of 1978. He moved to Barstow in 2020 to be close to his mother. Although he lived most of his life in and around the Sacramento area, he always considered Kansas his home.
Before moving to Barstow, Terry looked forward to weekly breakfasts with his longtime childhood friends, John, Rich, and Tony. The waitresses knew them by name and would reserve their booth every Saturday rain or shine.
Terry served in the United States Army, 25th Infantry Div., CO C 65th Engr. Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He earned several service ribbons and reached expert level in hand grenade and rifle.
Terry was an Inventory Control Specialist working in the Office Supply and Stationery Industry for 34 yrs. He was given a CEO Award of Excellence in 2009 while working for United Stationers.
Terry was an avid reader and history buff. He enjoyed US and World history and could speak about all sorts of historical events. He enjoyed going to American battlefields wherever he traveled to picture what he read in books and pay respect to those that fought. He loved the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. He caught many shows over the years and wrote down the names of the songs as they were played during the show; like many deadheads would do.
Terry was a devoted sports fan following his much-loved Kansas Jayhawks Men’s basketball, Las Vegas Raiders football, San Francisco Giants baseball, San Jose Sharks hockey, and the Tottenham and Liverpool FC Soccer teams. He loved a good horse race and each Triple Crown season, he and good friend, John, would make friendly wagers on which horse would win. The winner of the wager would get to choose first for the next race.
On any game day, you could find Terry watching a game and wearing his teams’ jersey; sometimes yelling at the TV, voicing his opinion of the play or call. Once his team was out of a playoff, that sports season would be over for him. Down would come the team flag, the tow hitch cover removed from his truck, and that section of his tee shirt collection in his closet would be moved to make room for the next sports team’s apparel. For several years he was involved in a men’s semi-pro football league as a special team’s coach for the River City Gators, winning a championship in 2011. He knew sports inside and out and could tell you anything about sports and who played for which teams and the years they played.
Terry adored his nephews Alex and Jack. He would not miss a baseball or football game that they were in. You would always know that Uncle Terry was there because he could be heard in the stands of a football game giving the referees (or coaches) a piece of his mind. At some baseball games, he would remove himself to the outfield so that the umpires could not hear what he really thought of the strike zone. Everybody knew Uncle Terry.
Terry is survived by his beloved mother, Letha (Jim) Herschell; sister, Dawn (Ross) Vierria; nephews Alex (Kayla) Vierria, and Jack Vierria; great-niece, Kayden Vierria; sister Lori (Steve) Taylor and brother Dennis Nowak; uncles, Larry (Yvonne) Heinen, and Donnie (Donna) Nowak; Aunt, Anne Dornberger, 14 cousins, many friends and extended family.
Terry is preceded in death by his grandparents, Alvin and Julia (Taul) Heinen, William and Lillian (Emge) Nowak, his father, Van Nowak, sister Sheri (Nowak) Walters and uncles Jay and Floyd Nowak.
Graveside services will be held at the Worden Cemetery on Friday February 5th, 2021 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Terry’s name to the American Kidney Foundation or the Worden United Methodist Church in Baldwin City, KS.
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