Thomas Lafayette Johnson

Thomas Lafayette Johnson IV (“TL, Grampy, Uncle Tom”) left this world on December 26, 2020 at the young age of 75. He is survived by his loving wife of nearly 40 years, Margo Brewer Johnson, of Henderson, Nevada.

TL has many family members across the country that were dear to him, especially his younger daughter from his first marriage, Kelly Johnson Cockrell of Livermore, California, son-in-law Matthew, granddaughter Delaney (14), and grandson Heath (10). TL has another daughter from his first marriage, Shannon Johnson Waxman, who is the mother of his other three grandchildren: Benjamin (20), Daniel (17), and Grace (13), all of Livermore, California. TL is predeceased in life by his sister Anne Johnson Moses and his brother William “Bill” Johnson, and has one living brother, Harry “Skip” Johnson. TL’s extended family includes his favorite Aunt Leslie Johnson, and the “East Coast Johnson Cousins” that include Mark Johnson, Betsy Johnson, Cecilia Johnson Guecia, and Will Johnson, along with their spouses and families, his sister Anne’s family who include brother-in-law Jeff Moses, niece Michelle Moses Wells and nephew Michael Moses, and their families, his brother Bill’s son, TL’s nephew Taylor Johnson, and his brother Skip’s children, nephew Eric and niece Chelsea Marie.

TL was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Thomas Lafayette Johnson III and Sarah Cobb Johnson, both deceased, and his siblings, where he spent his first 16 years of life, attending high school at Marist College. His family migrated west to Southern California, with TL driving cross-country in tandem with his father, where he graduated from University High School as the 1963 class valedictorian. He then attended UC Santa Barbara where he was a Founding Father of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and was its first chapter president. He enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and was assigned as a Storekeeper on the USS Proteus in Guam, where he quickly promoted ranks to an E5, and was named Sailor of the Year! In 1967, he married his college sweetheart and welcomed his two daughters in the next two years. After an honorable discharge in 1970, he settled back in Southern California, working during the day to support his family while going to night school to finish his degree. In 1971 he graduated from Long Beach State University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and then moved the family to Northern California to pursue a career in computer programming, which would remain his chosen profession until his early retirement at age 50.

In 1981, he married the love of his life, Margo Brewer Johnson, and they started their own company “The Logical Source”. TL and Margo worked side by side to build their very successful company, and together they enjoyed so many of life’s great pleasures over the years: reading, traveling, wine, music, theatre, art, and especially the beautiful outdoors. In fact, when they retired, one of the main reasons they chose Henderson is because of its proximity to many national parks! He was very athletic and loved hiking and exploring with Margo. To celebrate his 60th birthday, he completed the very challenging hike at the Grand Canyon from the top to the ground floor and back up again! If he had to name a favorite national park, it would be Zion, with Yosemite a close second. He had a love for sailing, developed during his summer camp days in North Carolina, and for a time, owned a sailboat that he captained around the San Francisco Bay. He collected record albums his whole life and believed that the best sound came from a record player, not a CD. His love of books was evident from his collection around his house: they are stacked one on top of another all the way to the ceiling with no bookshelf left empty. His love of wine resulted in a collection of souvenir wine glasses, each with their own story of a person or place that was special to him. TL and Margo traveled the world together, starting just after they were married and continued until after they retired. Their travel bug was launched after their first trip to Western Europe in 1983 when they put their belongings in storage and traveled for nearly 3

months straight. Their home is full of souvenirs from their trips to China, Germany, Spain, Canada, and the many other places they were fortunate enough to see. When asked what his “favorites” were, Margo responded that he got such enjoyment from trying new things: a new book, a new place to visit, or a nice red wine, that as soon as he tried to name a favorite this or that, a new one took its place.

TL was a voracious, lifetime learner and he had a great love of history and facts and could recall dates and details of events with great detail due to his amazing memory. He loved to communicate with his family, writing long letters, then emails. He had the most expressive blue eyes, conveying concern for others and always with a twinkle of mischievousness. He had a gentle wry sense of humor, with a quiet comment that would slip up on you and delight you, and he was quick to contribute a belly laugh to the jokes his grandchildren would tell him. He was a wonderful Grampy to Delaney and Heath, showering them with attention during his frequent visits, and they adored him. He was always ready to play games with them, and would do anything they wanted, including play dress-up when they were little. TL loved spending time with his family, whether in Seattle with the Brewer family, on the East Coast with the Johnson family, or in California with the Cockrell family - he enjoyed every aspect of visiting with family both old and young and made everyone feel special when he paid close attention to their every story, every conversation.

He loved to take daily walks in the desert mornings before the sun made it impossible to be outside in the heat - he frequently tackled 6 or 7 miles a day, listening to books on tape, checked out from the local library where he was a frequent visitor. His love of nature led him to be a longtime supporter of The Sierra Club and many other deserving charitable organizations.

TL was also a lifelong caretaker, first for his grandmother, Sarah Cobb Johnson, who lived with Margo and him in Healdsburg, California, then for his mother in her later years. Both Margo’s father and mother, loved and adored TL, and he was by their sides when they passed away. TL was Margo’s loving caretaker after she was both diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and suffered a stroke that left her physically challenged. He doted on her, giving her love and attention every moment of the day, constantly looking for ways to make her life easier and more comfortable.

Above all, it is his love and devotion to Margo, and she to him, that is the everlasting monument to his life. He was a wonderful, interesting, intelligent, funny, loving, charismatic, handsome, and loyal man and he will be missed by everyone that was fortunate enough to know him in his 75 years on this earth.