William P. "Bill" Johnson Jr.

William P. “Bill” Johnson Jr., 71, of Columbia, Maryland, passed away on October 2nd, 2026. Born in Baltimore on November 19, 1954, he was the son of Margaret Johnson (née Cutler) and William P. Johnson Sr. Bill graduated from the University of Michigan in 1975 with a B.S. in Engineering. He later built a lengthy career in software engineering, including 26 years with Viavi Solutions. Bill also served for many years as a Director of the J.F. Johnson Lumber Company, the family's business for several generations.

Bill is survived by his wife, Beth; sons, Daniel and Zachary; siblings Mike and Julie, Bob and Linda, Sue and Keith, Peggy and Gary, and their extended families.

Bill was a devoted husband, father, and brother. His wife, Beth, and sons, Daniel and Zachary, were the center of his life. He would do anything for his wife and was immensely proud of his sons. He was dedicated to making sure his boys had a well-rounded childhood and was present for their sports, activities and milestones. He also went beyond his comfort zone to be a cub scout leader and attend mission trips through DreamBuilders with his sons to build or repair homes for people in need. As Bill once said, “My family means everything to me.”

Bill will be remembered for his intelligence, warmth, generosity, wonderful sense of humor and ability to make people laugh, whether through a joke, a story, or an unexpected bit of humor. Besides his family, his major passion was music. He loved the music of the 60’s and 70’s. He also loved Ocean City MD vacations and helping people he knew and loved in his community, including church. If you had a problem to solve or something that needed to be fixed or even something like framing 50 campaign signs, he would volunteer to do it. He generously shared his talents with others.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 17th, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 6800 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Christ Episcopal Church or Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute. For Johns Hopkins please make your checks payable to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Including William P. Johnson Jr and Institute of Cardioscience on the memo line and mail to:

Johns Hopkins University and Medicine

Attn: Heart and Vascular Institute

PO Box 49143

Baltimore, MD 21297-9143

For donating to Christ Episcopal Church, https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/how-to-give-online