David William Johnson Jr.

David William Johnson Jr. of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, passed away from complications of cancer on February 24, 2014 at the age of 54.  Dave met the love of his life in night school at McChord Air Force Base and later married Kathleen, his loving wife of 27 years.  They were married in Roanoke, Virginia on May 17, 1986 and have live a blessed and wonderful lifetime together ever since. Dave was born in El Paso, Texas on March 6, 1959.  He graduated from the Kaiserslautern American High School and continued on to earn a Bachelor's of Psychology from St. Martin College and a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.  Dave completed 20 years of service in the U.S. Army.  He began his service as an enlisted soldier, was accepted to Officer Candidate School, was commissioned in the Field Artillery, and completed his final years of service as a member of the Army Acquisition Corp.  After retiring from the Army, Dave continued his career as an Executive Program Manager with DRS Technologies, Inc-Tactical Systems in St. Louis.  His greatest reward was working on programs that improved the equipment that soldiers, marines and airman used to improve their capabilities in the field.  He relished travelling and visited locations all around the world.  He was also actively involved with the Ready Readers program during this time.  A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday March 1, 2014, 10:00 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1355 Motherhead Road, Cottleville, Missouri 63338.   Memorial donations should be directed o Ready Readers at http://readyreaders.org/donate/tributes-memorials-and-gifts/  Dave summed up his life as, "I went the distance and ended up right where I belonged!"