Charles Gaylon Johnson

They say that even as a little kid in Hunter, Arkansas, Charlie would practice “preaching" while holding his bible and standing on the family's upturned washtub. Charles Gaylon Johnson, aged 79, passed away on June 5, 2026, but there is no doubt that his legacy of ministry and compassion lives on.

Charles was born on November 8, 1946, in Brinkley, Arkansas to Charles Lewis and Wyona Belle (Lacy) Johnson. He grew up in Hunter (and then later Brinkley) with his parents and three younger brothers, Mike, Gerald, and Dale. He was a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and later enrolled in the Journeyman Missionary Program, serving for two years in Tukuyu, Tanzania.

That young man from Brinkley couldn't have been further from home, but his adventures there were full of enduring highlights and a source of endless stories featuring Swahili phrases, laugh-out-loud recountings of angry warthogs, an often-unreliable Land Rover, and a host of beloved friends.

Alongside the local ministers and villagers, he perfected his church-building skills (literally building churches using local materials, such as handmade, sun-dried mud bricks by the thousands) and developed his love for helping others.

It was there that he fell in love with another missionary, Sharon Ann Harrison, his wife of 54 years. He often joked that he knew she was absolutely "the one" when she helped him skin antelope and zebra they hunted to share with villagers.

He later graduated from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky with his Master of Divinity. After pastoring small churches throughout Arkansas and Texas, he moved into chaplaincy work in Corpus Christi, Texas. He then found his way back to Arkansas to head up the chaplaincy program at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. There he served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House and was an advocate for the families that resided there while seeking treatment at Children's Hospital.

Eventually moving to San Antonio, Texas, Charlie spent years developing programs to make homeownership more attainable for people of all means. He served on the board of the Men's Rescue Mission, where he would occasionally serve as guest pastor for the unhoused and transitional residents. He attended First Baptist Church and was beloved at CUB (Communities Under the Bridge), where he and Sharon volunteered weekly to feed, comfort, and befriend the unhoused community in downtown San Antonio.

As devoted as he was to ministry, Charlie reserved a special kind of adoration for his family and treasured “telling stories and laughing ‘til his sides hurt”. He and his brothers and their wives made it a point to celebrate together every few months - with a proper emphasis on food, fellowship and dominos. He had a special place in his heart for sharing even the smallest of treasures with his son – Click & Clack, Louis L’Amour, Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder, and a much-loved MGB without proper floorboards. Every day was an adventure, and he will be missed more than he ever knew.

Charles is survived by his wife, Sharon; son Mike (Jill); grandchildren Quinn, Caden, Kyan, Callie, and Carys. brothers Mike (Toni), Gerald (Debbie), and Dale (Cheryl), sister-in-law Kathy Rice (Mike); and a host of nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held July 16, 2026, at 3pm at First Baptist Church, 515 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215. There will also be a celebration of life with unhoused friends on July 17, 2026, at 5pm at CUB, 724 Chestnut St, San Antonio, TX 78202.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Communities Under the Bridge (CUB San Antonio) in his name.