Alfred Rex Johnson

Alfred Rex Johnson, age 77, of Crystal Lake, IL, died Friday, April 2, 2021 surrounded by his loving family. Son of the late Jimmy L. and Mary (Whitfield) Johnson, Rex was born on December 2, 1943 in Pinkhill, NC. He was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Connie Jamison, on May 14, 1965 in Hampton, VA. Rex proudly served for 6 years in the United States Army Reserves. Rex was a high school graduate who later in life managed to earn a master’s degree from Northwestern University after testing out of having to earn the prerequisite bachelor’s degree! During his life, he had many different jobs, but most recently he was a motivational speaker, an educator, and the CEO of Lending Solutions Consulting Incorporated. Rex was able to travel all over the country for speaking events and made many great friends in the process. He was also the founder of Baxter Credit Union. He retired in 2018 after receiving numerous accolades and impacting countless people. Rex came from humble beginnings, and was a remarkably intelligent, self-made man who worked hard for everything he accomplished in life.

Rex was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who enjoyed spending time with his family. He loved seeing movies with his special-needs son, Brian, and would even see multiple movies in a single day. They never missed a new release. The Johnson family were huge Disney fans, and Rex took his kids and grandkids to Disney World over 50 times. He also loved travelling to the family beach house near Charleston, SC where he would spend time with family on the beach, fishing, golfing, and going out to eat. After his wife, Connie, golf was the other love of Rex’s life, and he even hit 3 holes-in-one during his life. In recent years, Rex could be found relaxing in his leather recliner next to the fireplace with his beloved cats, Sophie and Caboo in his lap, watching old movies together.

Rex is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Connie; his children Janelle (Michael) Venet of Crystal Lake, IL, Lorrie (Michael) Wohlfeil of Crystal Lake, IL, David (Miel) Johnson of Arlington Heights, IL, and Brian Johnson of Crystal Lake, IL; his grandchildren Austin Butler of GA, Logan Butler of MT, Abigail Butler of CO, Mason, Hannah, and Christian Wohlfeil of IL, Sam, Charlie, and Dashiell of IL; and his sister-in-law, Pamela Johnson of NC. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his siblings Harold L. (Sally) Johnson, Jimmy Lee (Barbara) Johnson, and Gerald W. Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Rex’s honor to the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at Northwestern University Chicago. The Center requests that donations be made online at brain.northwestern.edu/about/giving.html. Donations can be directed to the PPA Research & Education Fund or the Alzheimer’s Research & Education Fund. To send a check by mail, contact 312-503-2706 for more information.

A celebration of life for Rex will be held at a later date. The Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Home and Crematory of Genoa City, WI is assisting the family. Online condolences haaselockwoodfhs.com.