Obituary of James H. Johnson

James H. Johnson

August 13, 1936 – February 11, 2022

James H. Johnson, formerly of Madison, NJ, died on February 11, 2022, at the age of 85 at Morristown Post Acute Nursing Center. 

James is survived by his wife Lynne, his sons Jeffrey and wife Elizabeth of Exeter, NH, and Erik and fiancé Sanfordof New York City, and his three granddaughters: Leah Gregg and husband Trent, Kayla Johnson, and Carly Johnson. 

He was predeceased by his brothers Richard Johnson and Kenneth Johnson. 

James was born in Newark, NJ, to the late John and Venla Johnson. He met his wife Lynne when they worked together at Colonial Life Insurance Company of America. They were married in 1962 and celebrated 59 years of marriage in 2021. 

James served in the NJ Army National Guard for 5 years from 1958 - 1963. 

He began a 36-year career at Chubb Insurance Company starting as an assistant supervisor in the Internal Printing Department in 1962. Jim was promoted through the years to become manager of the Printing Services by 1984. His management skills earned him a promotion to manager of the National Distribution Center in 1987, where he worked for almost eight years, followed by a 3-year stint as manager of Corporate Records before retiring in 1998. 

Jim was a diligent, conscientious, and prudent man. He had a strong work ethic, which he passed on to his sons. He was a great conversationalist and a real people person, enriching his life with friendships and camaraderie. He was loving and devoted to his immediate and extended family, his friends, his coworkers, his church, and his community. 

He was a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Chatham, NJ, for several decades and served there in many capacities, including usher, Sunday School teacher, and Stewardship Committee member. 

Volunteering was an important and fulfilling part of Jim’s life and he was generous with his time and cared deeply about people. It also had a profound effect on him personally as he once recounted, “Volunteering has renewed my faith in human nature.”

His volunteer work included the United Way of Somerset County where he served in fund raising and fund distribution, Junior Achievement as a Project Business instructor, Literacy Volunteers of Morris County as a reading tutor, and at the Morris County Correctional Facility where he taught math to inmates hoping to earn their GEDs.

Jim also served on the boards of the Central Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Plainfield Chapter of the American Red Cross. He served on the corporate cabinet of the American Heart Association and was a member of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators. 

Jim was an avid runner and ran in many charity 3K and 5K races over the years. He loved to jog or walk every morning, regardless of the weather, and made a few friends along the way. 

Another of Jim’s passions was reading: everything from the daily newspaper to paperback mysteries to non-fiction. He liked to challenge his brain and enjoyed learning new things. He took his love of learning a step further when he enrolled in classes in Psychology and Marketing at the County of College of Morris.

Jim cherished annual summer vacations at the Jersey Shore with his extended family and grandchildren. He and Lynnealso enjoyed traveling to Florida and the Caribbean with family and friends. 

Jim was one to never give up. He was not a quitter. He believed in the extraordinary power of the mind to influence our emotions; indeed, it was his conviction that by focusing on the good things in our lives, we find happiness.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 300 Shunpike Road, Chatham, NJ, at 2 pm followed by light refreshments.

Website: https://www.gloriadeichatham.org/

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following:

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, Wellesley Hills, MA

(https://curealz.org or 1-781-237-3800)

Dementia Society of America, Doylestown, PA

(https://www.dementiasociety.org or 1-800-336-3684)

Literacy Volunteers of Morris County, Morristown, NJ

(https://www.lvmorris.org or 973-984-1998)