Kevin Donell Johnson Sr.

Kevin was born on Sunday, June 25, 1961, in New Rochelle, New York. He attended New Rochelle public schools and graduated with high honors from New Rochelle High School in 1979. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and was subsequently employed at MIT Lincoln Labs for many years. While at MIT, he designed and built a barany chair used by the space program to study motion sickness.

His religious training began in New Rochelle at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church where he served as a Junior Usher, an Acolyte and a Sunday School student. When he moved to Massachusetts, he joined St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Cambridge where he served on the Men’s Chorus. Desiring to worship near home, he moved his affiliation to Greater Framingham Community Church where he served as a member of the Trustee Board and participated in Men's Fellowship.

His interests centered around science fiction and space exploration, spawning an interest in Star Trek, Doctor Who, and other entertainment within the sci-fi genre. He was also a member of a sci-fi fan club named after astronaut Ronald McNair. Aligned with his interests, from childhood, Kevin desired to be an astronaut, having watched the first space shuttle launch and many others since then.

It was at MIT that he met Sabrina L. Lewis who he married in 1985. To this union was born Kevin Jr. Upon his birth, Kevin Sr. became a stay at home Dad. When he returned to work, he was employed by NASA in California, working on the development of the X-43a, a supersonic ramjet that was launched from a rocket launched from a plane. When the economy took a downturn, he worked wherever the opportunity arose. Whether it was stocking shelves at Savers, putting in insulation for Jones Boys or cashiering at Toys ‘R us--no job was too small or unimportant; he gave it everything he had. His final employment was at Pratt Whitney in Connecticut, correcting and working with computer code. In August of 2016, he suffered a stroke which prevented him from traveling between his home in Framingham and his workplace in Connecticut. Seeking to rejoin the workforce in the aeronautic field after significant recovery after his stroke, he was in the interview process for a position in Texas.

In addition to his Parents and Son, Kevin Jr, Kevin will be fondly remembered by Sabrina; his brother Dwayne; his sister Charlene; his adopted brother Bret Elkind; his four Nieces: Jasmine, Faith, Jeanise and Amarise; his 6 Aunts and his 2 Uncles; many Cousins; many friends and many school mates. To know Kevin was to love Kevin. He loved people and people loved him.

Like the Klingons, he believed that the body is an empty shell and we should treat it as such, but the Lord has his Soul forevermore.

Rather then flowers, the family suggests that donations in memory of Kevin be made to the building fund of Great Framingham Community Church, Franklin and Park St, Framingham , MA 01701