Jeb's Obituary and Planned Memorial Gathering

Jeb's obituary may be found in today's Chattanooga Times Free Press at: http://timesfreepress.com/obituaries/2011/aug/16/john-johnson/
There's a picture of Jeb in the obituary. I'm printing the text portion of the obituary below. It bears testimony to the substance of the person and the legion of friends he has.

A small gathering for family and friends will be held in Jeb's home of Austin, TX, today. It will fittingly consist of conversation and music. At some later date, Jeb's ashes will be spread in San Francisco....a magical place in Jeb's life.

A memorial gathering will be held within a week or two at the home of Jeb's very good friend, Bob Moore (who has posted on this board under the board name of DJ). As many as 200 people are expected to attend , talk about Jeb, and make some music that Jeb would have loved.

Any post on this thread will be read at the Chattanooga gathering. If you've posted elsewhere and wish it to be read, please copy it here. Any contributions should be made through the site shown at the end of the obituary, to aid Dawn with her expenses.

Sam

John Johnson

AUSTIN, TEXAS John Johnson, 46, died on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Few people were so full of life and had such a positive impact on so many people.John graduated in 1983 from Hixson High School in Chattanooga. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, with a Minor in English, in 1988 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. John had a successful and dynamic career working in film production. He was the Production Designer for the feature film, The Slaughter Rule, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002. He also worked on such feature films as Basic Instinct and Sneakers; music videos such as Neil Young's Harvest Moon, Green Day's Basket Case, Cypress Hill's Insane in the Membrane, and Leann Rimes' One Way Ticket (in which he had a memorable cameo dancing in a fireman's outfit with Leann); and numerous nationally run television commercials. He resided for extended periods in San Francisco, Chicago, Austin and his native Chattanooga.John was a prominent front-man in several revered rock bands, including the Feast of Pigs and the Butthorn Four of Chattanooga and Red Mist of Austin. With the Feast of Pigs and Butthorn Four, John and his band mates pioneered "grunge rock" before Nirvana or anyone else had even heard the term. He blended elements of Southern Rock, Punk Rock, Classic Rock, and Post-Punk Goth and Alternative into a memorable, entertaining, and passionate sound.John's love of music is legendary. He loved music that ranged from the Louvin Brothers to N.W.A. He shared his music with so many friends by way of mixed tapes, mixed CD's, and finally his Facebook page. John was also an avid reader, sometimes painter (particularly in his youth), and huge fan of the Boston Celtics.John had a beautiful spirit and warm heart. He deeply loved his friends and family. He was drawn to good-hearted people from all walks of life. He will be sorely missed by so many people.John had a beautiful spirit and warm heart. He deeply loved his friends and family. He was drawn to good-hearted people from all walks of life. He will be sorely missed by so many people.He is preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Bettye Johnson; and by his sister, Kellye Johnson.John is survived by his wife, Dawn Johnson of Austin; his brother, Keith Johnson, of Chattanooga; and his beloved dogs Pearl and Forrest.He is also survived by extended family who reside mainly in the areas of Chattanooga or Oliver Springs, Tennessee.John's friends and family are planning a memorial service for John in Chattanooga. More information regarding that service will be forthcoming.Memorial donations, which will help offset the expenses to care for John during his illness, may be made by way of http://jjsyncslate.com.

Sam

The link for donations does not work. Can you please try and updated it so we can contribute a few dollars to Dawn?

Thank you.

Mrkleen,

It's a link on the Chattanooga newspaper. I've phoned my contact but had to leave a message about possibly correcting it.

Thanks,

Sam

Can we start a fund ourselves then to send something to Jeb's family?

Dont want to see this drop off the radar guys.

I'd been wondering about that myself. Kleen, thanks for following up.

We can certainly start a fund to help Jeb's family. To date, through donations, the willingness of contest winners to have their winnings go to Jeb and his family, and the remainder of the money we had in the kitty, the board has sent about $1,200 to Jeb and Dawn.

If someone would like to undertake the leadership of an additional fundraiser, I'd be happy to do anything I can to help.

Sam

it wont be a lot, but my next paycheck will have something for Jeb in it, where i send it fella's??

The board has been very generous in helping Jeb and Dawn. Therefore, I am not soliciting further funds. However, if people wish to send additional financial support, I'll be happy to make sure that any checks in support of Jeb and Dawn will be forward directly to Dawn. Please make the checks payable to Dawn Cooper Johnson and mail them to me at: Sam's Celtics Forum; P.O. Box 758; Wellfleet, MA 02667.

And thank you for your continued generosity.

Sam

Today (Sep. 27), I received the following message from Jeb's friend who has been kind enough to pass along information, which refers to a lot of wonderful memories that were posted on this board.

Sam

Tomorrow nite is the chattanooga memorial for our good friend.Should be around 150 friends---informal...johns music....and much storytelling.
Ive printed out your hall of fame induction and all of the beautiful memories and I will read them all. They will put smiles on faces I assure you.
My best to all.

sam wrote:The board has been very generous in helping Jeb and Dawn. Therefore, I am not soliciting further funds. However, if people wish to send additional financial support, I'll be happy to make sure that any checks in support of Jeb and Dawn will be forward directly to Dawn. Please make the checks payable to Dawn Cooper Johnson and mail them to me at: Sam's Celtics Forum; P.O. Box 758; Wellfleet, MA 02667.

And thank you for your continued generosity.

Sam

Check your mail soon Sam....check is on the way. Thank you for keeping us informed.

To All Board Members,

Following is the report of one of Jeb's friends on Jeb's memorial, which occurred yesterday.

Sam

I would like to say that I read ALL of your incredible,touching, and so on target thoughts about our mutual friend John (jeb).As I did i was looking at the gathering as they we're nodding their heads in agreement with how you all perceived him--through the written word for most of you.

As some of you stated,he was no different in person--completely engaging,full of life,Dennis Leary type wit,and unfailingly kind and compassionate.

There will never be anyone quite like him in my life---and I know some doozies.He loved his music,good conversation,laughter,competing--either on the basketball or tennis court,ping pong...etc.

One of the last things he said was how overwhelmed he was to know that he was so loved.Loved in a way that many considered him their closet friend.

As did I.

Dawn continues to grieve and we all will be with her.



John sincerely loved his time with you on Sam's site---I know you know that.I think its appropriate that the season is "up in the air".

I finished my talk by putting on John's beloved Larry Bird 33 jersey he presented to me the last time I saw him a few months ago.I then read your Hall of Fame induction and everyone stood and cheered.

God bless you all--Beat LA!

Bob

Wouldn't he have loved this?

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

Sam, thanks for posting Bob's message about Jeb's memorial. I'm so glad I got to know him, as much as I did. One of a kind.

Rosalie,

Consider yourself as having been part of what must have been a super tribute—much of it musical—at Jeb's memorial service. Time and place need not matter at such an outpouring.

Outside, Jeb certainly was one of a kind. I really miss his unique, day to day running commentary on basketball and life.

I can only hope the spirits of Jeb and another "John" whose funeral I attended today are now united. John DeMasi of Quincy, MA, was a former mounted policeman who long ago played trombone with the greats such as Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Louis Prima, and more recently the Provincetown Jug and Marching Band, which Sally and I have followed since the 1970s. Another genuine character who, in his later years, played wonderful jazz piano at our favorite local hangout and usually wound up swapping stories and jokes around the bar as the evening wound down.

The two Johns would have loved one another, and today our lives are overflowing for having loved them both.

Sam

Thanks to Bob's post, it feels like we were there in some way. So glad they got to see this part of his life, so glad I did as well.


Pete

Jeb's passing has touched me deeply as I contemplate my own mortality. The love is blinding. The fact that he loved the Celtics and this amazing forum is really about the fact that Jeb knew how to love.

dboss

Sam-I have lost many, many loved ones in the years I have been married. Each one left a mark on my life that I never forget.

It is funny, though Jeb and I never met, we had such a wonderful friendship here on the forum. I truly considered him a loving friend. One of the last posts
that I remember from Jeb to me was where he told me that he looked forward
daily to our bantering about the Celtiics, knowing that I loved them as much as he did. When he passed I truly felt his loss deep in my soul. I will never forget
what his friendship meant to me.

I only pray that he is at peace now, raising hell some where up above, playing his music and enjoying it totally.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to that post, when I got it, Jeb was the first person I thought of. His love of life and music lives on.