Ed W. Johnson
September 14, 1929 ~ June 4, 2017
DANVERS/EVERETT- Ed W. Johnson, 87 passed away on June 4, 2017 in Ledgewood Nursing home. He was the loving husband on Pauline (DiGiambattista) Johnson.
He was born in Cambridge on September 14, 1929. Ed had been employed as a salesman for many years. His passion was music. Ed was gifted with a beautiful voice that he enjoyed sharing with family and friends. He was also an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Candy and Bob Kelleher of Danvers and his son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Deb Johnson of W. Peabody, five grandchildren, Marissa Costello and her husband Drew, Brendan and Connor Kelleher and Kevin and Dylan Johnson and a great granddaughter, Addison Grace Costello.
His funeral will be held at 8AM from C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers, on Friday, June 9, 2017, followed by his Funeral Mass at 9AM in Saint Richard Church, 90 Forest St., Danvers. Burial will follow in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Danvers. Visiting hours are Thursday from 5-8PM at C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers. Donations may be made in Ed’s name to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA, 01923.
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
When I was first dating my husband we celebrated Valentine’s Day with Gramps. He cooked us lobster (my favorite!) with baked potatoes, corn and a garden salad. We had strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was so special to share this dinner together and I remember being so impressed by Gramps’ cooking skills. He went out of his way to make my favorite food and welcome my boyfriend into the family. Gramps loved his family. We love him.
I was twenty four, newly married, and an instant family of two kids… And, oh yeah, I had just lost my job…
I read a tiny employment ad in the Boston Globe that instructed me to ask for “Mr. Johnson”… I called and was told that Mr. Johnson wasn’t available but he would call me back… Sure he would
8:45 on a Friday night on Salem street in Medford, a Cadillac pulled up and a small, impeccably dressed, dapper man with a hat stepped out of the car and came across to me with a smile and all of the confidence of a man much larger in size, he held out his hand and said: “Nice to meet you, I’m Ed Johnson.”
I’ve been calling Eddie off an on fairly frequently over the past couple of years… Almost always after a successful business meeting … One where I did the right thing and made the right call …The conversations would always start the same way: “Eddie I just wanted to call to thank you.”… “For what” would always be the reply… “Oh, the details aren’t really important Eddie, just wanted to thank you”… And then we’d just chat.
Eddie would be the first one to tell you that he had fought his own demons… Terrible fights that he eventually won… He’d tell you that he was a medical marvel and had no idea how he could have enjoyed such a long life… To those of us he was very close to, he would occasionally give you a glimpse into the powerful forces that shaped a man of such strong will. I will never in my life forget him depicting his memory of being a small child, staring out the rear window of a dark sedan as it sped away… Taking him from his parents forever.
To me it sometimes seemed that he was almost indestructible, such was his strength..
I can’t call him today, but in my prayers tonight I’m still going to say thank you.
—
Tim Brown
Ed was the world’s best father in law. He was a life long mentor in life and business, my biggest supporter personally and professionally, my Red Sox and Patriots ‘buddy’, my auto show companion, my historian in all things politically and militarily, my benchmark for high IQ, and most importantly, my life long friend.
During his last few years, he said he was the luckiest man alive. To those he touched, we feel the same way.
With everlasting love,
Bob