F9DXER
Well-Known Member
I just received word of the following.
RIP
Shuttle Dispatcher Matt Johnson known for his smile, positive outlook, love of aviation
Simply put, his smile was infectious. He loved his family, especially his wife and three young children, his job as a Shuttle America Dispatcher and all his Republic Airways coworkers. For those who knew him the past five years at Headquarters, that was the essence of Matt Johnson, who passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, at his Denver-area home surrounded by family after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 32.
“The guy always had a smile on his face, he had such a great attitude and he always loved coming to work,” said Shuttle Manager of Dispatch Scott Nemeth, who hired Matt away from Island Air in Honolulu, Hawaii. “He certainly worked through some difficult times while facing his own illness.”
Matt actually worked for all three SOC operations, Scott said, first for Republic Airlines, then Chautauqua Airlines and lastly for Shuttle. “Because he touched all those departments, everybody knew Matt. When the cancer hit him, everybody came forward and donated whatever sick time they had” so he could take several months off for medical treatments.
“He was going through so much and yet he was thinking of his children the entire time and making plans to make sure they had great memories and felt loved,” said coworker Annamarie Dockus. “That was so inspiring to others around him and reflective of his excellent character.”
Clearly, aviation was a big part of his life. According to his obituary published online by Horan & McConaty Funeral Home in Aurora, Colo., Matt’s “deep love and passion for aviation was well known, and he always took pride in being able to decipher the type of plane that was flying above him just by hearing the sound of it in the sky. Matt found a way to use aviation to teach lessons in his home with his children, with friends, and in his callings at church. He was an avid lover of Legos, as well as constructing and painting model airplanes that still hang today in his childhood bedroom.”
A Colorado native, Matt was born May 21, 1983, in Arvado and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Matt loved his family fiercely and unconditionally, and valued the importance and meaning of an eternal family. His love for the Lord and his unwavering faith sustained him to the very end,” his obituary read.
Matt is survived by his wife Sunshine Johnson; children Eliana, 5, Kayden, 4, and Eden 3; his parents, Tom and Chloe' Johnson; and his brother Benjamin.
Viewing will be 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7405 South Addison Court, Aurora, Colo. 80015. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, at the church, with burial immediately after the service at St. Simeon Cemetery, 22001 E. State Highway, Aurora, Colo. 80018.
In lieu of flowers, family and friends may make a memorial contribution to the “Johnson Family Survival Fund” at https://www.gofundme.com/qz73nw
RIP
Shuttle Dispatcher Matt Johnson known for his smile, positive outlook, love of aviation
Simply put, his smile was infectious. He loved his family, especially his wife and three young children, his job as a Shuttle America Dispatcher and all his Republic Airways coworkers. For those who knew him the past five years at Headquarters, that was the essence of Matt Johnson, who passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, at his Denver-area home surrounded by family after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 32.
“The guy always had a smile on his face, he had such a great attitude and he always loved coming to work,” said Shuttle Manager of Dispatch Scott Nemeth, who hired Matt away from Island Air in Honolulu, Hawaii. “He certainly worked through some difficult times while facing his own illness.”
Matt actually worked for all three SOC operations, Scott said, first for Republic Airlines, then Chautauqua Airlines and lastly for Shuttle. “Because he touched all those departments, everybody knew Matt. When the cancer hit him, everybody came forward and donated whatever sick time they had” so he could take several months off for medical treatments.
“He was going through so much and yet he was thinking of his children the entire time and making plans to make sure they had great memories and felt loved,” said coworker Annamarie Dockus. “That was so inspiring to others around him and reflective of his excellent character.”
Clearly, aviation was a big part of his life. According to his obituary published online by Horan & McConaty Funeral Home in Aurora, Colo., Matt’s “deep love and passion for aviation was well known, and he always took pride in being able to decipher the type of plane that was flying above him just by hearing the sound of it in the sky. Matt found a way to use aviation to teach lessons in his home with his children, with friends, and in his callings at church. He was an avid lover of Legos, as well as constructing and painting model airplanes that still hang today in his childhood bedroom.”
A Colorado native, Matt was born May 21, 1983, in Arvado and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Matt loved his family fiercely and unconditionally, and valued the importance and meaning of an eternal family. His love for the Lord and his unwavering faith sustained him to the very end,” his obituary read.
Matt is survived by his wife Sunshine Johnson; children Eliana, 5, Kayden, 4, and Eden 3; his parents, Tom and Chloe' Johnson; and his brother Benjamin.
Viewing will be 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7405 South Addison Court, Aurora, Colo. 80015. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, at the church, with burial immediately after the service at St. Simeon Cemetery, 22001 E. State Highway, Aurora, Colo. 80018.
In lieu of flowers, family and friends may make a memorial contribution to the “Johnson Family Survival Fund” at https://www.gofundme.com/qz73nw
