Edward (Ed) Johnson

Edward (Ed) Johnson passed away on the evening of 29 May 2026 after a long liver illness. He was 59 years old.

Ed’s life was defined by a quiet intelligence and distinct chapters. Raised in Harrisonville, Missouri, he was an early devotee of soccer, playing for the Harrisonville Optimist team in the early 1980s—well ahead of the sport's eventual widespread popularity.

At eighteen, Ed enlisted in the United States Army, serving as a Signals Intelligence Voice Intercept Operator. During his four years of honorable service with the First Infantry Division in West Germany, he mastered the Czech language, a testament to his sharp mind and love of learning. Following his service, he pursued his education, earning both his undergraduate and Juris Doctorate degrees.

In his later years, Ed enjoyed simple pleasures. He loved his cats, found satisfaction in watching birds, enjoyed his work and co-workers, loved music and took time to create art. He and his niece frequently texted and spoke about new music. She loved these moments with him. One of Ed’s seminal music experiences was seeing The Cure in Stuttgart in 1987. He saved that ticket as a memento for nearly 40 years. Above all, he was a reader. He spent countless evenings in local bookstores, developing a keen eye for literature and offering thoughtful recommendations to those around him.

He also cherished the time he spent with his parents, who remained a steady presence throughout his life until their deaths.

Though Ed’s path was often solitary and his journey complicated, those who knew him best were hopeful for his capacity for (re)connection. In his final days, he welcomed his family and old friends back into his life. The support and love they shared provided him with great comfort and strength.

As we remember Ed, it is his brother’s hope that he was able, as Derek Walcott urges in his poem „Love After Love” to reflect and be thankful for his own life:

"Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart 

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored for another,

who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life."

Cremation with Inurnment at Leavenworth National Cemetery, Leavenworth, Kansas at a later date.