William "Bruce" Johnson

"William "Bruce" Johnson, native of Carter Nine, Oklahoma and resident of Baton Rouge, passed away at peace with his life and God on Friday, June 2, 2017 at the age of 83. Bruce grew up in southern Illinois and graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He was proud of his military service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. As a young man, Bruce worked many jobs throughout the Rocky Mountain states gaining experience and knowledge in oil exploration and production that led to a career in the petrochemical industry. Bruce was a founding member and President of Baton Rouge-based Trident Chemical, which grew into a very successful water treatment company servicing Gulf Coast chemical plants and refineries, and then worked as a consultant for Nalco Chemical for several transitional years when Trident was sold. After retiring for only a weekend, Bruce then started several new business ventures, earned his commercial real estate license, and eventually began developing commercial real estate projects which he enjoyed doing until his death. Bruce was a gifted athlete, excelling in basketball and baseball in his high school and college years. Until his illness in late 2016, Bruce was an avid tennis player, which led to many lifelong friendships on and off the court. Bruce was honored to be a member of the Louisiana team at the Southern Senior Cup tournament several times, playing alongside former college and professional tennis players who, as he would say, really knew how to play. Bruce was an usher and member of Trinity Episcopal Church where he worshipped regularly with friends and family. Bruce also supported the Interfaith Federation's numerous ministries aimed at eradicating hunger and promoting peace in our city. The greatest pride and joy of Bruce's life was his family. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and brother who is survived by his adoring wife, Jennifer Savoie Johnson; daughters, Julia Johnson and Abigail Johnson; son, Mark Johnson; granddaughter, Aimee Johnson; brothers, Jack Johnson and wife Linda, Drew Johnson and wife Jane, and Jim Johnson and wife Vickie; as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Amos Calvin Johnson and Johnnie Dove Dennis Johnson. The family would like to thank Bruce's gifted medical team who compassionately treated and advised him during his illness: Dr. Edmund Vinci, Dr. Tom Heigle, Dr. John Marshall, Dr. Adham al-Hariri, Dr. Scott Sonnier, and Dr. Ellen Zakris. Visitation will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., on Sunday, June 11, 2017 beginning at 5 PM until 8 PM. A funeral service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3552 Morning Glory Ave., on Monday, June 12, 2017, at 11 AM officiated by Rev. Sharon Alexander and assisted by Rev. Canon Shannon Manning, Rev. Skully Knight and Rev. Robin McCullough-Bade. A reception will follow the funeral service at Trinity. Pallbearers will be Jack Johnson, Drew Johnson, Jim Johnson, Mark Johnson, Matt Johnson, Mike Johnson and Stewart Flores. Honorary pallbearers are Edmond Savoie, John Savoie, Mike Torres, Joey Savoie, Jamie Halbert, Matt Laborde, Dr. Scott LeBlanc, Rudy Thorgeson, and Brett Hughes. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, the Interfaith Federation of GBR, or MD Anderson Cancer Center (for uveal melanoma research) at P.O. Box 4486; Houston, TX 77210-4486 or online at www.mdanderson.org/gifts.