Gary William Johnson

Gary William Johnson, 71, of Moline, Illinois died the afternoon of Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at his home with his loving wife of 23 years, Debbie, and daughter, Rachel, by his side.

Services are 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 16, in the Horizon Room at Trimble Funeral Home at Trimble Pointe, 701 12th Street, Moline. Visitation is 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. Burial is in Rock Island National Cemetery, where the Vietnam Veterans of America Quad Cities Chapter will present military honors. Memorials may be made to the family for a fund to be established in Gary’s memory.

Born June 10, 1953, Gary began and ended his life in the Illinois Quad Cities. In between, he lived on Air Force bases in Florida and Germany and in DeKalb, Illinois; Geneva, Illinois; and Fort Worth, Texas before retiring to an RV for several months. He, Debbie, and their dog Liam took to the road and traveled across many states in the Southern, Western, and Midwestern U.S. throughout 2022 and 2023.

Although a self-proclaimed introvert Gary was the life of the party, known for his impression of Bob Dylan singing Christmas carols and for hitting golf balls off of roofs. His life of serial entrepreneurship included a stint as a successful wedding deejay in the 2000’s. His propensity for knowing and applying rules (at least to others) led to years of refereeing high school and college basketball with a childhood friend. He was haunted by a couple of his bad calls until his final days.

Gary was also a milkman, an accountant, a business owner, and most recently and steadily a self-taught computer programmer. His hobbies included karaoke singing, candle making, softballing, reading, woodworking, pool shooting, dart throwing, and political banter. As a long-suffering Cubs and Illini fan, Gary was sure to pass his traumas on to his children. He loved Christmas and professed a strong preference for the version of “A Christmas Carol” starring George C. Scott, which was playing when he died. It was immediately preceded by another favorite, Paint Your Wagon. He lived a life run by spreadsheets and highly accurate arrival time predictions, and he appreciated a fried egg made properly over medium.

Gary is survived by wife, Debbie; children from his first marriage, Brad (Michelle) Johnson, Rachel (Zack) Wenthe, and Emily (Ian Cawley) Johnson; grandchildren, Charlie Johnson, Will Johnson, Emma Bowes, Phoebe Wenthe, Britton Wenthe, and Edie Cawley; brothers, Mike Johnson and Leo Johnson; sister, Chris Ivey; his loving dog, Liam; and Debbie’s nieces and nephew with whom he was close, Jason, Jennifer, Stephanie, and Melissa. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Roni; and granddaughter, Stephanie.

The family invites friends to share stories and condolences at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.