Leon J. Johnson
Leon J. Johnson was born on November 1, 1935 in Camden to William E. Johnson Sr. and his wife, the former Marie Deegan. His father was born in Tennessee and his mother in Pennsylvania. The April 1930 Census shows the family living at 617 Godfrey Avenue in Philadelphia, where William E. Johnson was employed as a street car operator; the household then also included one-month-old William Jr., an aunt, Margaret McManus, and a cousin, James McManus. Another son, Thomas W., was born in Philadelphia, after which the family moved to New Jersey, where four more children were born: Joan M., Paul F., Leon J., and Donald G. Johnson. The family was living at 3009 Mt. Ephraim Avenue as early as 1935. The 1940 Census shows William E. Johnson Sr. employed as a sheet metal worker at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
The family was still at the Mt. Ephraim Avenue address when the City Directory was compiled in 1947, William E. Johnson Sr. then working as a policeman. By January 17, 1949 he had left the department.
Leon J. Johnson served in the United States Army. On January 3, 1969 he began serving as a member of the Camden Fire Department, retiring on August 30, 1997 after over 28 years of service. His legacy carried on beyond his retirement: his nephew, Donald G. Johnson Jr., followed him into the Camden Fire Department on March 2, 1987, rising to the rank of Battalion Chief.
A long-time resident of the Fairview section of Camden, where he was active as a member of St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church, Leon J. Johnson and his wife moved to Somerdale, New Jersey after he retired. He passed away on August 30, 2017, survived by his wife, his sister, his brother Donald, a host of nieces and nephews, and many present and former members of the Camden Fire Department.
Camden firefighters Ernie Fagan and Leon Johnson at the March 7, 1971 fire at South 6th and Van Hook Streets that destroyed the original building of the John W. Mickle Elementary School. The Annex remained in use as of 2008 as the Camden Creative Arts High School.
Obituary
Rest easy my beloved Uncle, Brother Firefighter, Mentor and Friend.
Leon J. Johnson died on August 30, 2017. Born in Camden, he was the son of the late William E. Johnson Sr. and Marie (Deegan) Johnson, and the beloved husband of Joan M. (Grant) Johnson. He was survived by his brother, Donald G. Johnson (Carol), his sister, Joan Schules (Vincent), and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers William E. Johnson Jr. in 1988, Thomas W. Johnson in 2008, and Paul F. Johnson in 2009.
Leon proudly honored his country by serving in the United States Army. He later worked as a firefighter for the City of Camden until his retirement in 1997 after 28 years of service. He was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, St. Lawrence Church in Lindenwold, served as a Lector for St. Joan of Arc, and was a Eucharistic Minister.
Family and friends visited from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, September 7th at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, St. Lawrence Church, 135 North White Horse Pike, Lindenwold, where a Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Burial followed in New Saint Mary's Cemetery, Bellmawr.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Leon to Good Counsel Homes—Hope for Babies and Mothers, P.O. Box 6068, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Funeral arrangements and inquiries were through McCann-Healey Funeral Home, Gloucester City.
Tag: leon-j-johnson
Alabama Road
Alabama Road runs from Yorkship Square southeast through the Fairview section of Camden, crossing Collings Road and continuing east through Crescent Gardens Apartments to Mount Ephraim Avenue.
9th Street
Ninth Street is one of Camden's longest north–south thoroughfares, running from the Delaware River waterfront in North Camden, through the city's central corridor, and far south through Cramer Hill and Whitman Park. Block numbering begins at Federal Street.
Six Begin Fire 'Basic'
Six Camden men — Thomas S. Watson Jr., Lloyd W. Henshall, Lloyd G. Birdsong, Leon J. Johnson, Richard P. Williams and Curtis J. Britt — began basic training on January 3, 1969, bringing the Camden Fire Department to full complement.