William C. Johnson

William Casler Johnson (Mr. J.), 87, of Crystal Lake, died April 17, 2020 at Northwestern Medicine, McHenry.  Bill was born January 21, 1933 in Galesburg, IL to Thomas B. and Dorothy E. Johnson (nee Casler).  Bill and his family lived in four states before settling in Moline, IL.

Bill graduated from Moline High School in 1951.  Besides his academic accomplishments, he also lettered in four sports.  He attended Augustana College and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.  He lettered in tennis, football, swimming/diving.  Bill received a Master’s Degree from University of Northern Colorado.   He taught physical education in Crystal Lake School District 47 for 35 years, retiring in 1991.  During the summer Bill worked for Crystal Lake Park District tennis program.  He also enjoyed coaching tennis at Crystal Lake Central High School and McHenry County College.

Bill served the Midwest District of AAHPERD for over 40 years in a variety of roles. He was President of IAHPERD in 1978 and received the Pop Horton Award in 1999, IAHPERD’s highest award. Bill’s current position was Convention Manager Emeritus.  In addition, for many years he co-chaired the Pokagon Leadership Conference with the late Don Mosher from IN.  Collectively, they were known as the Frick and Frack of the organization.  Bill’s leadership, knowledge and most importantly, his hard work at any task were instrumental in making so many of the Midwest District activities successful.

Bill enjoyed playing tennis and was an avid Cubs and Bears fan.  He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.  An enthusiastic and dedicated supporter of the youth of Crystal Lake, his warm smile and sense of humor left a lasting impression in everyone he met.

He will be greatly missed by his wife of 32 years, Sally; children, Paula (Christopher) Easton, Todd (Judy) Johnson, Jamie Sue Johnson, Lee Ellen Johnson, Brian (Sumac) Johnson, and their mother, Nancy Johnson;  step-children, Jill (Matthew) Feetterer, Justin (Katie Gehrman) Meyer; grandchildren, Aaron Easton, Jenifer (Jaryd) O’Brasky, Katrina Werle, Kendall Johnson, Ayla (Cameron) MacDiarmid, Samantha Feetterer, Sydney Feetterer, Ella Gehrman, and Ava Gehrman-Thompson.  He is further survived by his sister, Elizabeth (John) Ekstrom; brother, Thomas Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; sister-in-law, Carol Johnson; and infant granddaughter, Sarah Jones.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be Friday, October 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. with a time of visiting starting at 11:00 a.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 419 E Terra Cotta Ave, Crystal Lake. Inurnment will be held privately. In light of Covid-19, masks will be required and social distancing will be observed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org or to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at www.alzfdn.org.