Obituary for Donald L. Johnson Sr.
Donald Levi Johnson Sr. was born Thursday, July 17, 1952 in Cook County Hospital, in Chicago, Illinois, to
the union of Donald C. Johnson and Cynthia Williams. Grandma Cynthia was one of the FIRST African
American nurses working on staff at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She went into labor earlier than expected and
intended to give birth at Mt. Sinai but was declined because they did not serve Black People. Having
rushed to Cook County she delivered her son with her “boots still on.” From birth, Dad was real the
Chairman of the Board, and had always done life his way on his terms. Leaving home in 1969 to pursue
his life’s ambitions in engineering, Don met and fell in love with the love of his life, Susan. The pair were
married in 1970 and created 8 gifts to this legacy.
Dad was an avid sportsman, he was a linesman on his high school football team, an amateur competitive
bowler, hunter, fisher, boater, ping-pong enthusiast, and a pool shark. In addition to sports, he loved
music and entertainment. Having started a video and music productions business, he would often
promote musical entertainment acts to venues around the greater Chicago-land region, providing a
stage to numerous entertainers, as well as video documentation of important events in the family
history. Ever the animal enthusiast, our Dad was a professional breeder for Great Danes, Boxers, and
Chinese Shar-Pei. He raised and bred multiple champion sires/dams making a strong contribution the
Great Dane world. He was known to enjoy the finer things in life, this included exotic birds, reptiles, and
assorted animals, jewelry, vehicles, landscaping, and people. If there was something he wanted he went
out and got it or built it himself.
Perhaps his greatest legacy resides in his love and passion for his children and grand-children. Don was
always ready with a listening ear and sage advice. While he may meet you with tough love, he was
always ready to lend a hand to help you reach your goals or develop a better understanding to difficult
situations. Our dad believed that family was the most important aspect to our lives and reminded us to
put our children, and our own health, first-always. He once told me that if he were to do it again he
would have used his vacation days and went on those trips he thought about taking. When I would
consult dad for my next moves on decisions he would remind me to “Keep Peace Around Me,” and let
my troubles “roll off my back like water to a duck”. He encouraged me to be the cream of the crop, and
to strive to be my very best self.
Having triumphed through medical disasters such as a chemical spill in 1984, diagnosis of severe
diabetes, morbid obesity, lap-band bariatric surgery, renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, renal
cell carcinoma, sebaceous cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, two TIA infarctions, Don finally succumbed to
his battle with death on March 9, 2023 with a final cerebral infarction due to Parkinsons Disease LBD.
Dad will be sincerely missed. He leaves behind 9 children consisting of 7 sons and 2 daughters, 31+
grandchildren, 5+ great-grandchildren, 12 siblings, his mother, and a host of relatives who loved and
adored him.
the union of Donald C. Johnson and Cynthia Williams. Grandma Cynthia was one of the FIRST African
American nurses working on staff at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She went into labor earlier than expected and
intended to give birth at Mt. Sinai but was declined because they did not serve Black People. Having
rushed to Cook County she delivered her son with her “boots still on.” From birth, Dad was real the
Chairman of the Board, and had always done life his way on his terms. Leaving home in 1969 to pursue
his life’s ambitions in engineering, Don met and fell in love with the love of his life, Susan. The pair were
married in 1970 and created 8 gifts to this legacy.
Dad was an avid sportsman, he was a linesman on his high school football team, an amateur competitive
bowler, hunter, fisher, boater, ping-pong enthusiast, and a pool shark. In addition to sports, he loved
music and entertainment. Having started a video and music productions business, he would often
promote musical entertainment acts to venues around the greater Chicago-land region, providing a
stage to numerous entertainers, as well as video documentation of important events in the family
history. Ever the animal enthusiast, our Dad was a professional breeder for Great Danes, Boxers, and
Chinese Shar-Pei. He raised and bred multiple champion sires/dams making a strong contribution the
Great Dane world. He was known to enjoy the finer things in life, this included exotic birds, reptiles, and
assorted animals, jewelry, vehicles, landscaping, and people. If there was something he wanted he went
out and got it or built it himself.
Perhaps his greatest legacy resides in his love and passion for his children and grand-children. Don was
always ready with a listening ear and sage advice. While he may meet you with tough love, he was
always ready to lend a hand to help you reach your goals or develop a better understanding to difficult
situations. Our dad believed that family was the most important aspect to our lives and reminded us to
put our children, and our own health, first-always. He once told me that if he were to do it again he
would have used his vacation days and went on those trips he thought about taking. When I would
consult dad for my next moves on decisions he would remind me to “Keep Peace Around Me,” and let
my troubles “roll off my back like water to a duck”. He encouraged me to be the cream of the crop, and
to strive to be my very best self.
Having triumphed through medical disasters such as a chemical spill in 1984, diagnosis of severe
diabetes, morbid obesity, lap-band bariatric surgery, renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, renal
cell carcinoma, sebaceous cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, two TIA infarctions, Don finally succumbed to
his battle with death on March 9, 2023 with a final cerebral infarction due to Parkinsons Disease LBD.
Dad will be sincerely missed. He leaves behind 9 children consisting of 7 sons and 2 daughters, 31+
grandchildren, 5+ great-grandchildren, 12 siblings, his mother, and a host of relatives who loved and
adored him.