Dr. Derrick Johnson

            Derrick Anthony Johnson, M.D. passed away peacefully in Omaha, Nebraska on April 20, 2018 after a lengthy illness.  Dr. Johnson was born on November 13th, 1952 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the third child and only son of Dr. William Henry Johnson and Paula Allen Johnson.  Throughout his life, Derrick was the pride of his parents and his sisters. He was also intellectually curious and an outstanding scholar attending St. Cecelia’s School and Creighton Prep before going on to graduate from Central High School in 1970.  From there, Rick (as he was fondly called by his family and friends) went on to attend and graduate from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1979 where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Innocents Honorary, and on the Dean’s List.  He returned to the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he took an additional Biology degree in 1980, preparatory to receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1985. He was chosen as Medical Intern of the Year, 1985-1986 and General Surgery Resident of the Year 1990-1991.  In 1991-1992, he was honored to serve as General Surgery Executive Chief Resident. All of these achievements took place at the University of Nebraska Hospital.  Dr. Johnson went on from there to study further and complete his medical residency in Los Angeles in the Department of Surgery at King/Drew Medical School in 1992.

            Dr. Johnson was pre-deceased by his father, Dr. William Henry Johnson, his mother Paula Allen Johnson, and a sister, Marsha Johnson Davis.  In addition to his wife, Mrylian Gauff-Johnson of Omaha, he is survived by his three other sisters—Deborah Johnson Schumaker, of Columbus, Mississippi; Janine Johnson (James) May of San Diego, California; and Lynn Johnson Beatty of Los Angeles, California; nine adoring nieces and nephews and nine great-nieces and nephews, all of whom are devastated by this loss.

Rick will always be remembered as an incredibly quick witted, funny person, with an extraordinarily wry sense of human, forever ready with just the right joke to cheer us when we needed it most. He was very deeply loved and will be sorely missed.

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