Kerry Johnson Funeral_20250612

Introduction:

On behalf of The Entire Johnson Family, and Kerry’s Family from Maryland, I would like to thank you for the incredible support and love that this community has shown them this entire week, and for being here today.

So many people in this town and county have reached out to the family, cried with them, prayed with them, and just simply shown up.

And as one of the greatest men I have ever known has said on many occasions, “Just show up.” It means more than you will ever know.

I also want to thank a few groups in particular:

First Baptist Church, Whitmire for the hospitality and flexibility.

Grace Baptist Church and especially the Ladies of Grace for the love and comfort they have shown and continue to show this family.

Newberry County EMS for their work on Monday.

The Physicians, nurses and entire team of Newberry County Memorial Hospital.

Gray Funeral Home.

There are so many more, but I must get on with celebrating the life of our Beloved Kerry Johnson.

Todd has taught me that “No one can preach our funeral; rather, we preach our own funerals while we live.”

That is so true of Kerry Johnson.

What an incredible woman of God, Wife, Mother, Sister, and Friend Kerry Johnson was, and truly, we are all blessed to have known her.

If you do not believe me, then I challenge you to go to social media and take a good long hard look at the things that have been posted by countless people about her.

The one post that really stood out to me was the one from Tanya Shambley on Facebook. So I reached out to Tanya and asked if I could read it here today. It reads:

Kerry was one of the very first people I met when I moved to Whitmire at 14. She was just 25 then—a new mom to the sweetest one-year-old little boy and a foster mom to another.

Her home was always full of life, as she ran a full-time daycare and taught Sunday School every week.

Through her ministries, she introduced so many children to Jesus.

Throughout my teenage years, I spent countless hours with her.

She became the big sister I never had.

She gave me advice about school and friendships, taught me how to do my Mary Kay makeup, trusted me with her babies while she worked, and quietly modeled what it meant to be a Proverbs 31 wife and mother.

Neither of us could have known back then just how much of an impact she would have on my life.

But now, looking back, I see so clearly that God placed her in my path to prepare me—for my future fertility struggles, for my calling to foster care, and ultimately, for adoption.

For 30 years, Kerry remained a blessing to me.

There were times when my faith wavered, and she was always there, gently reminding me of God’s faithfulness.

When my mama passed away, Kerry sent me a message every day for nearly three weeks, just to say she loved me.

She never sought recognition.

She just loved—quietly, faithfully—like Jesus said to.

What a wonderful testament to how great of a woman, Kerry Bostic Johnson, truly was.

She loved her family.

She loved her community.

She loved children.

And boy how she loved her church. Every week, no matter how sick she was, come Sunday morning she was logged into the live stream watching, greeting folks, and saying her “Amens”.

Family

I have had the honor and privilege of meeting many of Kerry’s family members over the last few days, and I have been blessed to hear some of the stories of just how much she loved her whole family.

Like so many of us these days, Kerry was blessed with two whole sets of parents whom she adored.

Todd will be the first to tell you that Kerry absolutely adored her father Bob and Mary.

And there are so many stories I’ve heard over the last three days about her mother Linda and Donald (or Pop as both Kerry and Todd call him).

I don’t know a mother and daughter duo that haven’t had their fair share of butting heads, but I want to relay a story I was told yesterday about just how tight Kerry was with Mrs. Linda.

You see one day, when Todd was out of town, and Kerry was driving, she had a car wreck. Seeing that she couldn’t reach Todd, she picked up the phone and called her sweet momma who lives 600 miles away in Maryland.

And that just goes to show you just how tight Kerry was with her mom.

To her brother Eddie, I just want to say that I don’t think I have heard your name this week, without someone saying that you were Kerry’s hero.

But don’t worry, David and Mark, I am assured that she loved you too, even if y’all didn’t wear quite as long of a cape as Eddie.

Then there is her sister Kim with whom she shared the title of boss of the family. Two peas in a pod.

And last but not least is her sister Emily, whom she was so proud of not only for being a wonderful mother and wife, but also a minster of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Children

As was mentioned in Tanya’s post, many if not all of you knew that Kerry suffered from infertility that stemmed from a ruptured appendix at that age of 3.

One of Kerry’s deepest desires was to be a mother.

She and Todd went through treatment after treatment for infertility, ultimately to no avail.

But that just goes to show you how much better God’s plans are than our man-made plans.

See God knew that Kerry would have a much bigger ministry BECAUSE of her infertility.

As Tanya mentioned, Todd and Kerry then decided to become foster parents. And that ministry has touched more lives probably than either one of them knows.

Ultimately, this led, as it often does, to them adopting the three incredible children that they raised.

First there was Joshua.

I am told by everyone that that young man was the apple of his momma’s eye from the second he got home.

To Kerry, he was perfect.

She followed him to countless ballgames, always his biggest fan.

Even if he went 0-3 at the plate, you couldn’t tell her he didn’t get a hit because he put the ball in play.

Kaitlyn said the other night that Josh isn’t married because nobody could love Josh more than Josh loves Josh.

But she was wrong, Kerry loved Josh more than life itself.

I will now read a letter that Josh has asked be read.

It is a letter written by Kerry and Todd to Josh’s birth mother.

READ LETTER

Then there was Kaitlyn

Oh, Kaitlyn. My understanding is that you and your mother were so alike that at times it would be easier to bring two positive ends of a magnet permanently together than to get you and her to see eye to eye.

I am told that there is no better example of this than the time that you two got to fussing so bad going down the freeway, that your momma stopped the car and let you out on the side of I-26 with no shoes on or nothing.

But like all good mommas, and with a little coaxing from your daddy, she turned around at the next exit and came back to get you.

I also understand that, in a round about way, you and your momma’s fussing taught Andrew the very valuable lesson to just mind your own business and “act like you don’t here them boy.”

But I know this.

There was not a prouder Nana than your mother.

One of the first things your father said to me on Monday, is that He knew that she was up there in heaven smiling, rocking, holding Justen in her arms.

She loved you to death, Kaitlyn, and she loved those beautiful children of yours more than you will ever know.

Never stop striving to be as loving a wife and mother as your mother was to your father and you.

And then there was Andrew.

From 4 pounds at birth to the Andrew we know and love today.

I cannot tell you how many stories I have heard of your mother’s love for you, Young Man.

I dare say, that without your mother’s love and devotion to you, you may not have been sitting here with us today.

From the moment of your birth she fought for you.

She fought for you to get the life-saving surgery you needed on Christmas morning.

She fought for you through prayer and supplication to Jesus Christ Almighty that you would talk, that you would walk, that you would finish school, that you would never be put in an institution.

She fought for you with all her heart and soul and strength.

And look at you now:

6’6” tall

A nationally and internationally accomplished golfer

A man of God.

And an inspiration to us all.

I want to share just how much Kerry’s support has molded who Andrew is today.

On Monday afternoon, before we went to the funeral home, Andrew went in his room, picked out his first Golf trophy that he and Todd won together, and brought it to his dad to put in the casket with his mom, because He Knows just how much her support changed his life.

She loved you more than you will ever know, Young Man.

Todd

My Brother, Todd.

My mentor.

My Father in the Faith.

My Paul.

Behind every good and successful man, is an incredible woman.

Kerry Johnson was an incredible woman.

Most women cannot imagine being married to a cop, or a preacher.

Somehow, Kerry Johnson, managed to be a wonderful, faithful wife to BOTH and COP and a PREACHER.

That alone paints a picture of the kind of woman, Kerry Johnson was.

But it goes so much deeper than that.

See, most all of you know that not only is Todd a career law enforcement officer, not only is a he a preacher, but he is also a hall of fame football official AND the Chair of County council.

Many of us ask, how does Todd do everything he does?

I think the answer to that is four persons: The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost, and Kerry Johnson

I know, I KNOW that Kerry Johnson loved you, Todd, more than words can describe.

And I know that she supported you and your ministry in ways that none of us will ever fully comprehend.

So the next time I hear you preach, and I dare say, every time I hear you preach from now on out, I will know in my heart that in some way, shape or form, Kerry will have shaped that sermon in some way, and I will be forever grateful.

When I walked in your house on Monday, I noticed a picture of you and Kerry I had never noticed before.

It’s the one of you on your back with her kind of on top of you looking you in the eye.

Both of you were smiling.

And I thought to myself—there is a woman who loved her husband deeply and a man who loved his wife deeply, in a way that all couples should strive for.

Perhaps the best way I could possibly explain the love Kerry had for Todd is by sharing a little note she left him the morning of her passing.

Written on a paper towel with a sharpie, it reads, “Thank you for taking care of our family, especially me. I love you!”

What man doesn’t want to be shown that kind of love and respect in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live?

It is very common that we talk of the Proverbs 31 woman. Kerry truly was that woman.

So I would like to read a portion of that chapter of Scripture.

Proverbs 31:20–31 “She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.”

Remember, My Brother, that the Lord said in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”

Kerry and her health

Following gastric bypass about 13 years ago, life has often been a living hell for Kerry.

I don’t know that anyone, even Todd, knows the total number of surgeries that she has undergone in that time frame.

The Bible teaches in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Kerry personified that.

You see, she used her own suffering to counsel others and advocated strongly against the surgery that started her long and arduous battle.

In October, she underwent a roughly 7 hour surgery on her abdomen.

And since that time, her health declined rather rapidly.

She endured another 6 surgeries and numerous other hospitalizations in the last 8 months.

And on the weekend before she passed, Kerry told Todd that she was tired of fighting.

Truth is, most of us would have given up long before Kerry did.

And on Monday morning, she told Todd that she was so sick, she needed to go to the hospital.

Then she fell, and he and Andrew couldn’t get her up, so they called 911.

And her loving husband rubbed her back, and her son held her hand.

She told them she was dying.

In fact, later, Andrew told his dad that while he was holding her hand and she was saying she was dying, she was telling him that Jesus was calling her and letting him know that she was going to Heaven.

EMS arrived and loaded her up, but unfortunately, she became unresponsive.

Her heart simply gave out, and despite all that EMS, and the nurses and doctors did, they couldn’t bring her back.

They couldn’t because God was calling her home.

You see, Kerry Johnson was a woman of God.

A blood-bought, born-again child of the King.

She was saved by faith through grace because she knew Jesus Christ as her Lord and her Savior.

So you see, Kerry Johnson’s life didn’t end Monday morning—IT BEGAN!

Because we are not physical beings who happen to have a soul.

No, we are spiritual beings who happen to be wrapped temporarily in a physical body.

And now, as a child of God, Kerry Johnson, like all true believers has found out just what a wonderful thing it is that for the believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Kerry Johnson no longer feels pain.

Kerry Johnson no longer suffers.

Because Kerry Johnson is at home with the Lord who promised us as believers that He will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.

She’s passed through those pearly gates.

She’s walking those streets of Gold.

She’s seen Jesus face to face.

She’s heard those words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

You see, Kerry Johnson, was an incredible woman of God.

And she carried out her duties to God and loved her neighbors here on earth to the very end.

But now, now she is reaping the rewards of storing up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy.

On Monday, we here lost a loved one, but Kerry gained her eternity in the arms of the Blessed One.

But I will assure you all—every one of you that loved Kerry—that if you place your trust in the power of Jesus, you will see Kerry again some day.

In times like this, yes we should mourn.

We should remember, and we should shed tears.

We should comfort our family and friends who are grieving.

But more important than any of this—we should search ourselves to see if we have absolute assurance of our eternity with Jesus Christ, so that we, like Kerry, will spend eternity in heaven.

Church, we will all spend eternity somewhere.

We can try to do it on our own, and we will fail and spend an eternity in hell where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

Or, we can throw ourselves at the mercy of Almighty God and accept the free gift of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross some 2000 years ago.

Jesus said, John 14:6 “… “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

There is only ONE WAY, and that is by putting your trust in the only Son of God who was given for you so that you may not perish but have everlasting life.

Folks, there is no running from God, and everyone’s days are numbered.

And no one—I mean NO ONE—knows when their current breath is their last one.

So don’t delay.

Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ TODAY.

Come to a saving knowledge of Him TODAY.

Repent of your sins TODAY, and they will be covered by the blood of Christ.

For the Bible declares that today is the day of your salvation.

And if you are saved, I challenge you today.

I challenge you to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your strength, and all of your mind.

And I challenge you to love your neighbor as yourself, so that you may be a beacon of light and show the world that you love Jesus Christ.

The days ahead will be hard.

Life will not be the same for anyone that knew and loved Kerry Johnson.

But the God of all righteousness will get us through.

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”

Jesus taught in Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

But let us not forget that God works through people.

So lean on each other.

Love each other.

Support each other.

Grant each other grace.

Now may the God of all Mercy be with you all, now and forever more.

Amen.