Richard Francis Johnson

Richard Francis Johnson, Jr. was born in Nashville on May 22, 1956. He passed away peacefully at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on May 20, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. He had been experiencing some nagging health issues over the past few months, but it came to a head in early April, and he was taken to the ER at Vanderbilt Hospital. He battled through four+ weeks in the ICU with sepsis and a number of complications, setbacks, and little victories. It was a frustrating pattern of two baby steps forward, one giant step back. It was eventually discovered that an aggressive blood cancer with no known treatments was the culprit and was responsible for his quick decline. He was moved to Palliative Care at Vanderbilt on Sunday, May 18th; and passed on Tuesday morning at age 68. Interestingly, it was on the same 5th floor unit in the Vanderbilt Medical Center “Round Wing” where his mother passed on her 33rd birthday in 1963.

Richard, (better known as Ricky or Rick, or CHAMP by his two grandchildren), graduated from St. Ann Catholic Grade School in West Nashville. He continued on to Father Ryan High School where he graduated in 1974, and he later received an Accounting degree from the University of Tennessee, where he met the love of his life, Lynn Dodd. Appropriately, they tied the knot on Valentine’s Day, 1979. Their 46-year marriage produced two children, Shannon and Tim, and two grandchildren who Ricky adored, Wolf and Sloane.

For some 35 years, Rick served as staff accountant for Shoney’s Corp./Captain D’s division. For the last seven years of his career, he was a Senior Accountant at Brookside Properties in Nashville. He didn’t shy away from hard work, and he made wonderful friends along the way.

Ricky was passionate about his family; ALL sports, but especially all things VANDY and The New York Yankees; music, and The Marx Brothers. He knitted together a tight and eclectic network of friends.

From his childhood until his death, Rick embraced the Vanderbilt Commodores as “his team.” His father and mother were both Vanderbilt graduates, and his Dad lured his children to Vandy sports at an early age; with everyone surrounding Daddy’s little transistor radio in a brown leather case, listening to VU football and basketball games. Eventually, Daddy upgraded to a shiny black & chrome Philco portable radio, and all listened intensely to the voice of the Commodores, Paul Eells. As youngsters, Ricky and his two younger brothers; just three years separating from top to bottom, found a way to get into Vandy football and basketball games for free by trudging up and down the stairs at Dudley Field and Memorial Gym, hawking “Popcorn! Peanuts! Cracker Jacks!” After you got a few games of experience under your belt, you got promoted to the more profitable “Coke! 7-Up!” crew. Daddy was immensely proud of them, especially the “free” part; or really, “free + small sales commission.” In those days, it was hard to look forward to the mighty Alabama football team coming to town to face the outmanned Commodores, but the Tide fans sure bought a lot of coke and 7-up to mix with their brown bagged spirits. For such games, we focused on maximizing sales rather than the action on the field.

Ricky held on to his Vandy allegiance while matriculating at the University of Tennessee. This didn’t always endear him to his fellow Vol students and friends; but he was a stubborn, fiery redhead, and knew how to handle it. After moving back to Nashville following graduation, he became even more entrenched in VU sports. He held season tickets to Vandy Basketball, Football, and Baseball for decades. Over the years, he sometimes dropped the football and basketball tickets, due to either frustration with performance, or restraints on his wallet. But he remained steadfast with baseball, holding season tickets for the past 23 years. He and Lynn were fixtures in their seats on the 15th row behind the home dugout, up against the wall of the press box. They were diehards and confronted the gamut of weather presented in early spring in Nashville-rain, wind, blazing heat; even an occasional snow flurry. Of course, those challenges were forgotten with a Commodore victory, and there were plenty of beautiful spring days to balance things out. The friendships that Ricky forged or strengthened at Vandy baseball games is astounding, what a love affair!

After missing Vandy baseball’s first National Championship in Omaha in 2014 against Virginia, Ricky and Lynn decided they were not going to miss the next one. They made the long drive to Omaha for the 2015 College World Series. Vandy had some exciting wins to advance to a rematch with Virginia in the championship series but fell short in the third and deciding game of the series, finishing as the NCAA runner-up. Ricky and Lynn decided to give it another try in 2019 and they were rewarded with an exciting 8-2 Vandy win over Michigan, with the Vandy boys taking home their second NCAA Championship trophy. Ricky enjoyed the trips to Omaha with Lynn but quipped that he couldn’t find a good Omaha steak in that town! Even in his final days in the hospital, he watched some Vandy baseball, as his “baby” sister, Michele, plopped her laptop on his lap for the stream. While it was difficult for him to stay focused and engaged in the action, he managed a few smiles of satisfaction during Vandy wins over UT and Kentucky.

Ricky and Lynn also travelled near and far to support Vandy football and basketball, although those hostile SEC environments began to wear on Rick. He said if you weren’t wearing the home team swag, you were presumed to be the enemy, so he might as well wear his finest Black & Gold. His life was full of good times and good friends tailgating at his second home on the Vanderbilt campus.

Ricky lived and breathed music. His brothers recall going to bed many a night to the blare of the stereo in the bedroom that the three of them shared. In more recent years, he hosted a weekly music thread, posting songs and personal commentary, welcoming his friends to do the same. During his hospital stay, music remained a source of strength and comfort as loved ones played Ricky’s favorite tunes.

A fifth generation Nashvillian, Rick loved to delve into the history of Nashville and was a big fan of THE NASHVILLE RETROSPECT, (published from 2009 until 2020); it was a monthly newspaper “devoted to Nashville nostalgia and history.” It featured reprints of news and sports stories, and related photos, going all the way back from the 1800s to current times. After thoroughly reading, Rick handed off his issues to family or friends, as if he were a professor of Nashville history giving a homework assignment. He loved history of any sort and was a voracious reader of historical biographies, feeling that we should learn great lessons from history and the men and women who shaped it. He was always for the little guy and those facing hardship. He supported his sister Michele’s mission at the Tennessee Justice Center, donating his time and treasures, going to all the events, even doing face painting of the little ones attending the 2023 Dedication of the new TJC building.

Rick was preceded in death by his parents, Richard F. Johnson, Sr. and mother, Julia Anne Barr Johnson; his stepmother, Mary Frances Mannion Johnson; and his in-laws, Carol and Russell Dodd.

Ricky is survived by Lynn Dodd Johnson, his wife of 46 years; children Shannon (Chris) Johnson and Tim Johnson; beloved grandchildren Wolf and Sloane; siblings Sharon (Wayne) Hutchens, Michael (Barb) Johnson, David (Karen) Johnson, Gina (Angelo) Canonico, and Michele (Jeff Hill) Johnson; and a long list of nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.

The family expresses deep gratitude to the Vanderbilt Cardiac Care team for their compassionate care and for ensuring that ESPN was always on. We also want to thank all of his dear friends who showed so much love and caring in his final days.

If you wish to do something to honor Rick, please consider a gift in his memory to the Tennessee Justice Center. There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date.