In Loving Memory Kurrilue Johnson Jr.
February 28, 1938 – June 9, 2023
Services July 14, 2023 Fresno, California
Kurrilue Johnson Jr. was born on February 28, 1938, in Clearview, Oklahoma to Kurrilue Johnson Sr. and Bertha Nannie Riley. He was the second of three sons born of that union. Both brothers (Willie Johnson and Albert Bernell Johnson) preceded him in death.
Kurrilue spent his early childhood years growing up in Oklahoma, surrounded by the warmth and love of his mother and father’s large extended families. He attended schools in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California. In 1956, he graduated from Edison High School in Fresno, California. Immediately after graduation, Kurrilue joined the U. S. Air Force and trained as a radar technician. Over the years, he loved to recount how he bravely faced the physical and psychological challenges of being stationed in Sparrevohn, Alaska.
Upon his honorable discharge from the service in 1960, Kurrilue began employment with Lock-heed Missiles and Space Company in the research and develop-ment depart-ment. His fondest memories were of those early years when he worked with a group of scientists tasked with developing and testing systems for the Apollo and Gemini space missions. He kept his keen interest and love of the space program, even beyond retirement.
He and his wife Shirley were married September 28, 1963, and settled in Santa Clara, California. In 1965, they were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Karalyn. While working full time, Kurrilue earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University in 1974.
True to his rural Oklahoma roots, Kurrilue enjoyed the great outdoors. He bbbb and fry up his catch of the day. He relished spending time with friends on the golf course and participated in many tournaments.
He was a loyal supporter of the LA Dodgers, Cleveland Browns, Boston Celtics, and UCLA Bruins. Kurrilue loved listening to progressive jazz, blues, and classic R&B. his favorite poem was “If” by Rudyard Kipling, which he kept a copy of in the side table next to his recliner, where it remains today. Kurrilue was a fun loving, gregarious, and caring man with a wonderful sense of humor and quick with. If he had a life philosophy, it would be the advice he always gave to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative,” a line from a popular 1940s song.
On the afternoon of June 9, 2023, Kurrilue peacefully departed this life; a life well lived. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of almost 60 years, Shirley, his daughter Karalyn (John) Clarkson, granddaughter, Sophia; half siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many der friends. Mya those of us who loved him in this life, keep his spirit alive in our hearts.