Mary E. Johnson & Roland Johnson

A memorial gathering for Mary E. Johnson & Roland D. Johnson will be held Sunday, October 2, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery, 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis, Indiana 46208, followed by a memorial services at 3:00 PM.

Obituary for Mrs. Mary E. Johnson:

Mary Elizabeth Perrin Johnson was the second child born on December 10, 1933 to the late Castor Perrin and Lillian Morehead Perrin in Missouri.

Mary was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis and graduated from Crispus Attucks High School in 1952. She married Clarence Howard Johnson, Jr. in 1953. To this union, three children were born. They cherished their marriage vows and honored them by remaining together for over fifty-six years until his death in 2009.

Mary was a hard worker and was employed by Diamond Chain for twenty-seven years retiring in 1999. After retiring, Mary became a Jehovah Witness and studied faithfully.

Mary was an avid shopper and collector. She loved collecting clocks, books, and kitchen gadgets. She started reading fictional novels late in life, but it became a pastime she came to greatly enjoy. She loved being in the company of family and friends. Her greatest companion were dogs to which she was very attached. Her last dog was fondly named “Money” because she said he was always costing her money. She was best known for her outspokenness and honesty.

Mary departed this life on April 9, 2020 at the age of 86 years, 3 months and 30 days. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother: William “Billy” Perrin, husband, daughter: Carlesa Marie Brown, and son: Roland “Son” Johnson.

She leaves to cherish her memory, daughter: Donna Kay Johnson of Las Vegas, Nevada; daughter in law: Debra Denise Johnson; grandchildren: Brent (Aarika) Brown, Danielle Nicole Johnson, Devin Lamar Gray; great-grandchildren: Dylan Ross, Laylah Denise, and Blake Alexander Brown and a host of nieces, nephews and friends through the Kingdom Hall.

Obituary for Mr. Roland D. Johnson

Roland Dwayne Johnson was the second child and only son born to the late Clarence Howard Johnson, Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Perrin Johnson in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 2, 1956. He was never called by his given name by family or friends. He was better known as “Son” growing up and “Sonny” as an adult.

Son was baptized at an early age while attending church with his maternal grandmother. He attended IPS #41, graduating in 1970 and Crispus Attucks High School, graduating in June 1974. While growing up, Son was a very conscientious worker starting as a paper boy, then a fast-food restaurant, and also Earl’s Car Wash in Haughville. He was hired at John Sexton & Co at age 19 where he rose through the ranks working numerous positions.

He met Debra Hall on a blind date in 1976 whom he pursued until she was his lady. Although they went to the same high school, grew up in close proximity, and knew a lot of the same people, it took a mutual friend to set up the two of them. To this relationship, they gave birth to Danielle Nicole, their one and only child. Son was always a very devoted father to Dani and loved her dearly. Throughout the years of break up to make up, the two were finally joined in holy matrimony on July 8, 1989. The couple took their vows seriously as both of their parents and remained married until death.

After twenty-seven years of working at Sexton, the factory closed down unexpectedly. Sonny was one of the last employees to leave and stayed until the very end. He was very well liked by his co-workers and management. He connected well with people and had developed lifelong friendships through the canning company.

His close co-workers introduced him to the world of bowling. He was always on weekly leagues with family and friends until his death. Sonny once came very close to having a perfect game. He was a very avid sports fan and always rooted for the home teams. He seldom missed a game. There were times, during vacation, he was in front of the TV during the playoffs.

After the unexpected closure of Sexton, he had to reevaluate and figure out what to do next to provide for his family. After talking to his family and childhood friend, he decided to go into the dump truck business and become his own boss. With family backing and approval, he decided to name this family business RD&D, Inc. (Roland, Debra & Danielle). This decision turned out to be a successful venture and provided well for the family as he built up the business through the years. Dani helped with the tech side and even drove a truck in the early years. Debra helped with the financial and clerical side, while he handled the workload, truck maintenance and drivers.

Anyone who knew Sonny, knew how much of a car fanatic he truly was. In his mind, he could never have enough vehicles and he loved all types, from motorcycles to sports and luxury cars. It was his love for Corvettes, that his cousin, the late, great, honorable Julia Carson, recommended joining the local black Corvette club. After attending a few meetings and events, the couple joined Indy Classical Glass Corvette Club in 1999 and became part of a whole new family. Sonny was an asset to the club, bringing in new members, participating in all of the events, such as car shows, parades, and fund raisers, etc. Whatever the club needed-they could always count on Sonny. He held the office of vice president for many years. Being in the local club, opened the door to also be a part of the national organization, United Council Corvette Club (UCCC), of which the couple were members until his death. Sonny loved attending the yearly points meet and conventions where he could legally race the Corvette down a racetrack. He won numerous trophies throughout the years and eventually ran out of space to house them all.

In 2004, there became an interest in recreational vehicles. In 2005, a forty-foot luxury diesel pusher was purchased. There were a few members of ICGCC whom were also members of the Civil Cervice Conservation Club also known as the 4C’s, located in Columbus. This is the only black campground in Indiana, owned by its members. Unsure of having the time or wanting to join another club, the members were such good people that joining was inevitable after being there as guests for a function being held on the grounds. The family grew even bigger. This is not an easy club to be a part of and it is not even well known. One member once said it was the best kept secret in Indianapolis! Sonny was voted on the board just before his death. From the affiliation from 4C’s, introduction was made to a local RV travel club, Indiana Soul Journers, better known as ISJ, under the umbrella of its national club NAARVA (National African American Recreational Vehicle Association). Annual rallies to different cities and states were held and most were made unless the dates conflicted with Corvette club functions. Family and friends have been brought into these clubs by the Johnsons.

As a family, Caribbean cruises and visits to Mexico were taken on a regular basis. You could always find Son on the Lido deck. It was often called his office! After visiting most of those islands, on the advice and planning of Dani, the Johnsons ventured out to Europe in 2013. They took a Mediterranean cruise visiting Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, France and Turkey. It was so enjoyable, Dani researched and planned Asia in 2015, which included Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. Due to state of politics, the next trip was to stay in the US which meant going back to Hawaii after twenty years. This trip included a couple of days in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and a stop to four Hawaiian Islands. These vacations were always appreciated because of where we had come from. As kids, we only read about these places and never thought we would be tourists there! Bucket list included Australia and Africa, as well as, driving the RV to Alaska to visit family.

Sonny has left a void in many lives. To know him, was to love him. He is still being missed daily by those who knew and loved him. He had such a big heart and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for those he loved. He was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. His heart was always full and his hands were always willing to help in any way he could.

Mr. Roland Dwayne Johnson departed this earthly life on April 7, 2020 at the age of 63 years. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Carlesa Marie Brown. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife: Debra Denise Johnson, daughter: Danielle Nicole Johnson, sister: Donna Kay Johnson of Las Vegas NV, two nephews, two great-nephews, one great niece, a host of cousins, friends and club families.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.crownhill.org for the Johnson family.