Julius Caesar Johnson III

Julius Caesar Johnson III was born in Los Angeles General Hospital July 29, 1935, to Mary Belle Smith and Julius Caesar Johnson Jr.. Both parents raised him with the help of his father's mother Kathryn Holloway a.k.a Nana, and his Aunt Phyllis Foster. After his parents divorce, his Father married Melrose Brown and he gained a pair of older twin brothers Allen and Alden Brown who he loved to hang out with because he got to wear T-shirts and jeans, (something his mother would never let him do). Julius also hung out with his cousins Raymond and Michael Foster who were his best of friends until their passing.

Julius attended Mount Vernon Elementary School. He was a good student but had some mischievous adventures there. He enjoyed getting into a little trouble, so that his mother would come to the school and he could show off how pretty she was to the principal and teachers and prove to his friends she wasn't his older sister. From there he went to John Muir Junior High, where he was a good student but had terrible handwriting, so his mother bought him a typewriter and it was his ability to type that got him through life.

Finally, he went to Los Angeles High School. While in high school to earn money he would kill snakes for Los Angeles county for $1.00 a snake on which is now Six Flags Magic Mountain. He was active in Phillip's Temple CMC. He participated in youth groups and sang in the youth choir. He also had friends outside of church in which he sang and played piano with. Some of the songs they would sing were "Earth Angel" and "In the Still of the Night."

When he was fifteen he got a new father when his mother married Clayton Dix, and when he was nineteen he finally got a sister DeEtte Marlene Dix.

After graduation in 1953, Julius' mom had one rule regarding her son living at home. That rule was he either had to get a job, go to college, or join the military. Julius first got a job with the IRS in the mail room, and after a year decided to join the Air Force. It was during the time of the Korea Conflict. During this time, he became very proficient in playing and winning ping pong tournaments. His first assignment was in Biloxi, MS where there were some racial tensions and his mom and a few of her influential friends were able to get him reassigned to Cheyenne. He went on to do short tours in Alaska, Korea and Japan. While in the Air Force he got his nickname Sgt. Happy which was later shorten to just "Happy", because of his outlook of not worrying about things he couldn't change.

1954 was also when he met and married his First Love, Aretha Darlene Burrus. From this union there were three children Valencia Dree, Cynthia Renee, and Mark Anthony. When him and Darlene divorced he stayed an active participant in his children's lives. He was proud to attend their school functions which included plays, parades, track meets, and graduations. If he didn't have a car he rode his bicycle or took a bus to see them. And when he did pick them up for weekends and special occasions it was like being on a ride at the fair, so his children took turns riding in the front seat for the thrill of it.

His best friend Bruce got him interested in riding motorcycles. They had some exciting adventures together, including hanging with a well-known motorcycle gang, going grunion hunting with some of their children, hanging out and camping in wilderness and at the beach. And when Bruce's daughter Lani was born he became her Godfather. While he was acclimating to beach life he became what was known then as as a "Beatnik". He loved the water and many of his kids memories were of time spent at different beaches along the coast of Southern California.

Julius second wife was Venita Strange AKA Vikki. He and Vikki loved to go camping and any free time was spent doing just that. During the time Vikki and Julius were together, he started working in the X-ray department at Los Angeles County Hospital. He was so good at his job, he rose to the rank of supervisor of the department. Julius got things done in unusual ways (i.e. not filling things out in triplicate and expediting normal procedures quickly). He was a patient advocate so getting things done quickly was a priority for him. The county hospital is where the nickname "Happy" really began to stick, as no matter how stressful a situation, he quickly and efficiently got things done, and in the end, everyone was HAPPY! He retired from the County after 25 years of service in July of 1995.

While Vikki and Julius were married he met a daughter he didn't know he had named Vivian. While Vivian and her husband pursued there college degrees Vikki and Happy become full time grandparents to their new daughter April. Vikki and Julius later divorced.

In the later years of Julius working for the County, he met Emily Baca who he also referred to as the "Love of his Life". She was wary of him at first, but they finally started to enjoy each other's company. They married in Las Vegas on February 14, 1994. Happy acquired 4 more children when he married Emily. Patricia, Shirley, Ben and Andrew. At first, they were living in Los Angeles, but after Emily retired a year after Happy they moved to Las Vegas. Once they moved, they begin to travel around the country, visiting relatives and state parks, usually with Shirley's daughter Kristen in tow. When Emily's son, Andrew needed some assistance due to health issues they moved him in with them. There they stayed until Andrew and Emily passed away in April and August in 2015. Julius continued to live in Las Vegas with Andrew's dog. He had promised Andrew that he would take care of the dog, and they went to the dog park every day, and he talked and walked with other pet owners there. After the dog passed away Julius continued walking in the park early morning and every evening. In March of 2022 his daughter Cynthia moved Julius to Utah, where she lived and he would have her, her husband Michael and his grandkids Darwin, Olivia, Trey Holloway- Brown and Michaela Lakey, the grandson's wives Kim Kynaston and Miriam Olvera Gomez and great grandkids Wendy Lopez, Jayde, Kiara, Trey II, and Marcus Holloway- Brown who all helped and visited him on a regular basis.

As mentioned previously, Julius loved music. It was a big part of his life in his younger years in church and with his group sings with his friends singing 50" and 60" s songs. His favorite genre was jazz. He listened to the greats like Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald just to name a few. He had extensive collections of albums and CDs. He listened to the jazz radio stations at home and in his car. He went to concerts and jazz festivals. His first jazz festival was the Monterey Jazz festival. A bus from the beach, organized by Redd Foxx the comedian, traversed there way for a 3-day event to see and hear the best jazz entertainers of the day. He then went on to other jazz festivals all over the country and in Canada. In his days at the assisted living facility, there was music playing in his room and his his pocket 24-7. Everyone at Twin Oaks Senior Living knew Happy for his love of Jazz. He could and would bust out into song at any given moment. Music was always a comfort to him! Julius passed away August 5, 2025, listening to his Jazz.

Julius leaves behind His daughter Cynthia (Michael) Lakey of North Salt Lake his son Mark Anthony Johnson of San Francisco, CA, daughter Vivian of Hilton Head Island, SC, his sister (De Ette (Paul) Dix-Goss, and grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-granddaughters Ihla and Hera McGee.

The family of Julius Johnson would like to thank the staff of Twin Oaks Senior Living, especially Matt and Amy who put up with his constant phone calls. They also would like to thank Valeo Hospice especially Riley who tended to him every weekday morning.

Committal services will be at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California on September 1, 2025 at 9:30am.