Obituary of Larry Gene Johnson

Larry Gene Johnson passed away March 23, 2023 from heart failure in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Larry was born in Perryton, Texas on December 27, 1945, to Robert Lewis Johnson and Carrie Lorena Johnson.

He moved to Wild Horse, Colorado in 1953 when he was in second grade. He attended grade school in Wild Horse and High school in Kit Carson, graduating in 1964. He graduated from Otero Junior College in 1967 and from Southern Colorado State College (now the University of Southern Colorado) in 1970.

He was married for twenty-seven years to Diana Cockrum. They lived and raised their three daughters in Ouray, Colorado where Larry taught secondary school for seventeen years. During those years, Larry served in the National Guard, and augmented his teacher's income with various summer jobs, such as an EMT, City Parks Manager, School Bus Driver, Jeep driver for Switzerland of America Jeep Tours, and owner operator of the family run Dog and Burger Shop in Ouray.

Leaving Ouray, Colorado, the family moved to Lamar, Colorado, where he taught at the Community College for thirteen years, making a teaching career of thirty years. 

Larry served in the Colorado National Guard, retiring with the rank of Major after twenty years of service. He served in Montrose, Grand Junction, Longmont, and Golden, assigned to 1/157 FA.

After retiring from teaching, Larry served as the Volunteer Coordinator and then Maintenance Supervisor for the Ponderosa Baptist Conference Center in Larkspur, Colorado. 

While serving at Ponderosa, Larry met Linda at Monument Hill Church in Monument, Colorado. They were married in 2004 and enjoyed nineteen years together. Larry introduced Linda to RV travel, and together they served in Campers on Mission and were members of the Pikes Peak Rollers RV Club. They enjoyed many years of travel and adventure in the United States and Canada. 

Larry became a Christian as a child when he accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior in the First Southern Baptist Church of Eads, Colorado. He was ordained as a Deacon in the First Southern Baptist Church of Ouray, Colorado, and served as Deacon in SBC churches in Ouray, Lamar, Monument, and Black Forest. 

Larry is survived by his wife of nineteen years, Linda Johnson; daughters, Lisa (Mark) Hufford, Denna (Allen) Bunce, and Lana (Matthew) Copper; grandchildren, Payton Hufford, Grant, Leah, and Ashley Copper; his step-children, Brian James and Karen James; and his step-grandchildren, Addy and Emma James.

A Celebration of Life will be held, 10:30AM, Friday, April 7, 2023, Cross Fellowship Church, 10915 Black Forest Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80908.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Cross Fellowship Church Missions Fund, or Compassion International.

https://www.crossfc.org/missions or to Compassion International, https://www.compassion.com/ways-to-donate.htm