How do you say goodbye to someone who you can’t believe is gone?
Thirty-six years old and way too young to die.
Joshua Johnson, my editor at Focus Daily News and a very dear friend. Not just to me, but he was the kind of person who opened his heart to all those in need.
I have worked for Josh at Focus Daily News for 12 years. It was a quick 12 years and it went by like the blink of an eye. He taught me so much about the newspaper world because I had come from magazines. He taught me how to look at things from a news perspective and how to dig for the hidden nuggets of truth.
I can truly say I have no regrets with Josh except I did not get to tell him goodbye. He was the kind of friend who had my back and I had his. I would have been on his team any day, any time and he knew it.
I am a “give me a hug” kind of person, but I never hugged Josh. I don’t know why, I guess because I think he would have looked at me like I was crazy.
I saw him Wednesday of last week. I don’t know what made me go to the paper to see him instead of just talk to him on the phone like I usually do. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I just wanted to see him in person for some reason. I spent an hour with him talking about a news story and of course we talked about our personal lives. We did that because I knew I could trust Josh with information I did not want repeated. This morning, Monday when I was about to make my beginning of week call to him, Marlon Hanson the owner of Focus Daily News called to tell me the devastating news.
I am glad for every moment I knew him and I will remember him forever. Not only me though because he will be missed by so many in the Southwest Dallas and Ellis County Community. I hope he is looking at all of us right now from some great perch in the sky and he knows how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. Josh was the kind of person no one will ever replace – no one ever needs to – he had his own special blend of love and light and patience and he sent it out to all who knew him.
