David “DG” George Johnson
November 6, 1944 – January 19, 2024
When people met David “DG” George Johnson and asked what the DG stood for, he would always tell them “Darn Good.” At the age of 79, on Friday, January 19, 2024, at Lee’s Summit Medical Center in Lee’s Summit, DG passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. DG was born on November 6, 1944, in Harrisonville, the son of George Girdner Johnson and Hazel Louise (Bradley) Johnson. DG married his wife of thirty-six years, Virginia “Ginger” Sue (Schalue) Johnson, at Cedar Grove Christian Church in Johnson County, Missouri, on July 11, 1987.
Reflecting on his 79 years, I believe “Darn Good” was more than just an opening joke. His journey began with his early years dedicated to hard work on the Johnson farms near Latour. After graduating from Harrisonville High School in 1962 and completing two years at CMSU, his playful and teasing nature continued to evolve. Even throughout his career, there are countless hilarious and infamous stories about DG’s hard work and playfulness at the old Kansas City Stockyards and book binderys. He dedicated two decades to Anchor Labs; later, transforming into Model Farm Service, an animal supply store where he started in the early 1960s, before transitioning to Interstate Book Bindery and Harmony Printing, where he eventually retired in 2009.
Friends were many, and DG was most widely revered for his BBQ. DG and best friend Craig Kidwell formed the team that later became the Boys of BBQ and Patty where they competed, and oftentimes won, contest all across the Midwest, including the annual American Royal BBQ contest for more than 30 years. DG loved his friends and community, displaying his faith through his church at Cedar Grove, where he served as a deacon for many years. He showed his compassion and love for others through, the Kansas City-based, Kookers Kare BBQ charity that his teammates founded and grew along with other BBQ teams and friends from the Kansas City BBQ society.
When DG wasn’t tending to a bqq smoker full of meat, you’d catch him tinkering with his old tractor, indulging in the restoration of classic hotrods, pursuing woodworking, or simply out mowing. Yet, his most cherished moments unfolded in the backyard, alongside his wife and family, watching the kids and his granddaughter play and grow. Especially on the 4th of July, he had a knack for surprising everyone with the loudest firecracker, often tossed when you least expected it. And, of course, there was always BBQ at every family gathering.
DG is survived by his wife, Ginger Johnson, Holden; two daughters, Deborah Johnson, Harrisonville, and Susan Hagerman, Lee’s Summit; one son, Luke Johnson (Janelle), Warsaw; one granddaughter, Katie Hagerman, Lee’s Summit; and one brother, Charles “Hunky” Johnson (Nita), Garden City, and his dog Buddy. DG is preceded in death by his parents, George G. Johnson and Hazel “Louise” Johnson; sister Marie (Johnson) Kimberlin and her husband Tom Kimberlin; and nephew, Casey Johnson.
In remembrance of DG, we can almost see him shake his head and hear him saying, “Good Grief” if he saw us making a fuss today. Until the day we reunite, let us carry forward his joking spirit with the words he often shared: “Talk at ya later” and “Glad you got to see me.” May his wit and warmth continue to echo in our hearts as we cherish the memories of a life well-lived.
