Allen Lee Johnson, 77, of Loda, Illinois passed away on Saturday, July 27 at Carle Hospital
Urbana with family by his side. Cremation rites have been requested. A memorial visitation will
be held from 2pm to 6pm on Sunday, August 4 at Baier Family Funeral Services, Paxton, IL, with the
funeral to follow on Monday, August 5 at 11am at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Loda, IL.
Allen was born on December 15, 1946 to Lee and Verna (Hilgendorf) Johnson in Paxton, IL. He
married Nancy Cambell on June 1, 1968. She survives.
Along with his wife Nancy, Allen is survived by his two children, Brian (Amy) Johnson of Paxton,
and Christy Johnson of Champaign, and one brother Richard (Debbie) Johnson of Fisher. He is
also survived by his three beloved granddaughters, Maisy, Trixie and Hallee Johnson, along
with multiple nieces and nephews and his two dogs, Toby and Sylvia. Allen was preceded in
death by his parents, his older sister Pat Carlson, and his younger brother Gene Johnson.
Allen's childhood was spent on the farm where he helped his family raise cattle, sheep, hogs
and chickens along with various crops. Allen graduated from Buckley-Loda High School in
1965. He went on to Concordia University Seminary in Milwaukee, WI from 1965-1967, then to
Concordia Teachers' College in River Forest, IL where he graduated in 1969 with his degree in
Education.
Allen's first job as a teacher was in a one-room Lutheran school in Sadorus, IL, where he taught
first through sixth grades. He also served as the school's lone coach, janitor, and youth group
leader. He transferred to Buckley-Loda grade school in 1972 where he mainly taught Jr. High
level social studies. He was BL's long time girls' basketball coach, and also coached both boys
and girls track for many years. When Buckley-Loda consolidated with Paxton in 1990, he went
on to teach at PBL Jr. High. He retired from teaching in 2006.
Allen had a love of helping people, which manifested in him serving on the Loda Fire
Department as a volunteer fire fighter, along with serving as a Fire Department Trustee and
Treasurer. He studied and became a certified EMT and served on the Loda Ambulance for
many years, then furthered his schooling and became a paramedic. He started working for Pro
Ambulance in Champaign part-time while he was still teaching, then full-time after he retired
from PBL. He retired from Pro Ambulance in 2011 and became a full-time husband and
grandfather.
Allen was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Loda, where he served as an elder, trustee
and Chairman of the Church Board. His dedication to service in his community extended to him
serving on the PBL School Board, Christ Lutheran High School Board, and Loda Township
Village Board.
Allen loved the many hats he wore, which also led to him having many nicknames. He was
Butch to his family growing up; AJ to his fellow paramedics; Mr. J, coach and teacher to his
students; and his favorite, Papa to his granddaughters. His favorite thing in the last several
years was attending all of their sporting events. He was a huge fan of all PBL sports, but
watching his granddaughters play brought him special joy.
Allen was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and golf. He was also a skilled
carpenter and built everything from stairs to entire homes. Parkinson's disease took away his
ability to do many of these activities in his later years, and that is when he took up the hobby of
just driving around the country looking for deer.
Allen will be greatly missed by his family, the students he influenced over the years, and the
many community members he served in so many capacities.
Memorials may be made to Christ Lutheran High School, PBL School Foundation or Immanuel Lutheran Church, Loda.