Roger "Jet" Johnson, 77, passed away peacefully, on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013, surrounded by family members at Clairemont Nursing and Rehabilitation in Eau Claire. Roger was born in Eau Claire on May 29th, 1935 to Arthur and Helen Johnson. Like his father, an ace semi-pro pitcher, Roger took to athletics at an early age. He played forward on Eau Claire High School Old Abe basketball teams in the early 1950s, setting a long-standing record for rebounding at the Wisconsin State Tournament in 1953. Roger hit the books, too, earning recognition from the National Honor Society. After high school graduation, he studied at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Roger was a starting forward for four years on Coach Bill Zorn's highly competitive Blugold basketball teams from that era, winning two conference championships and playing for the NAIA national title in Kansas City in 1956. He then served a short stint in the U.S. Army in Colorado Springs, Colorado, then returned to UW-EC to finish his degree. Upon his graduation from UW-EC, Roger worked for Heritage Mutual Insurance in Madison, Chicago --where he developed an unfortunate lifelong affliction known to many as "being a Cubs fan" -- and in Eau Claire, where on June 29th, 1963 he married Thekla Culver at Christ Church Cathedral. The couple settled in Putnam Heights and raised three children. In 1971, he took a position as a director of student recreational programs at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, overseeing everything from ice broomball to sand volleyball, occasionally taking student basketball teams to tournaments in far flung locales. On many weekends during the school year, Roger could be found officiating high school basketball and football games with his close friend, the late Greg "Mouse" Bement, or perhaps embroiled in a cribbage tournament at a tavern and enjoying a single beer. He spent many summer days with his family at Pine Lake in New Auburn, or cajoling the posse of university students who occasionally helped him paint friends' houses. It was not uncommon of Roger to pull his children out of school on a moment's notice to road trip to Wrigley Field. He also enjoyed playing basketball with them, and occasionally coached their youth teams, but was most often content to watch and cheer for them. Over the years, his love of sports took him from Yankee Stadium to Dodger Stadium and many ballparks and arenas in between. Not long after his retirement, Roger suffered a stroke, in 1997. For a brief period, he was able to travel to see grandchildren, but a series of injuries over the last decade slowed him down considerably. He suffered a second stroke this January. He is survived by his loving wife Thekla, who served dutifully as his caretaker; his daughters, Jennifer Johnson of Brooklyn, New York, Kimberly (Marc) Carden of St. Louis Park, MN; son, Jeffrey (Tiffany St. Vincent) Johnson of New York, New York; a sister, Marguerite, of Redlands, California; his grandchildren, Culver and Sloan Carden, and Fritz and Annebet Johnson; as well as several nephews and nieces. Requiem Eucharist will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2013, at Christ Church Cathedral, 510 South Farwell St., Eau Claire, with a visitation one hour prior to Mass at church. The Very Rev. Scott Kirby will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Eau Claire YMCA, 700 Graham Ave Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Service Information

Visitation

Saturday, February 9 2013 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Christ Church Cathedral 510 South Farwell Street Eau Claire WI 54701

Requiem Eucharist

Saturday, February 9 2013 10:00 AM

Christ Church Cathedral 510 South Farwell Street Eau Claire WI 54701