On Nov. 5, 2021, in the blink of an eye, Anthony Leo Johnson, 29, lost his life in a fatal car accident; Rick and Dottie Johnson lost their beloved son; and Hailey Gillip lost her loving fiancé and the life they were building for their unborn son, Liam Johnson, and brother, Steven Logsdon.   

But Tony was more than just the roles he played in his loved one’s lives.  Tony was a man who faced the hard and challenging parts of life with his sense of humor and an understanding that any and everything is possible.   This philosophy in combination with his passion for knowledge and helping people led Tony to pursue a career in health care.  Tony started his career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), then became a registered nurse (RN), kept learning and climbing that mountain to attain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with, by his own admission, less than five hours of sleep most nights between studies and clinicals.   Tony also taught nursing at Penn Valley Community College and held a director or nursing position but never stopped learning or climbing higher.  At the time of his death, Tony was six weeks away from attaining a Master of Science in Nursing and taking the State Boards to be a Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) so he could continue to do what he loved to do every day:  help people.

Tony was a Richmond local and went to Richmond High School where he played football and started learning to play the guitar.  In no time at all he mastered the guitar and had been in a few successful bands playing venues in several cities.   

Tony was the kind of person who made friends wherever he went, which was a lot of places because Tony loved to travel, and it didn’t matter much to him where he was going.  Personal favorites: several trips to Las Vegas specifically to get tattoos done by his favorite tattoo artist, Walter Frank, and going all over the United States for Magic: The Gathering card game Pro Tournaments.     

Tony was also about as genuine, compassionate, and selfless of a person as you’d ever likely meet.  You could see this in the way he helped care for his grandmother and grandfather, or how he, on several occasions, rescued turtles that found themselves in bad situations on the road!  It was also evident in how his staff would go to him with, not only professional, but personal problems to ask for his help. He was a fantastic and fearless leader, but most of all, you could feel it in every single hug.  

Tony Johnson was many, many things: Musician, Learner, Defender, Healer, Traveler, lover of the Chiefs, and oatmeal cookies, Son, Brother, Fiancé and soon to be Dad.  

On Nov. 5, 2021, the world lost a good man.  A kind man.  A fantastic human being.   

Survivors include his parents; fiancé; son on the way, Liam Anthony Johnson; brother, Steven Logsdon of Hardin; aunts and uncles, Arch and Sheila Logsdon; and Tim and Sarah Logsdon; cousins, Billy Logsdon (Sondra), Tim Logsdon (Heather), Brandy True, Luke Logsdon (Michelle), Blake Logsdon, Emma True, Trent Logsdon, Paige Logsdon, Lacey Logsdon, Avery Logsdon, Ashley Logsdon, Adam Logsdon, Austin Logsdon, Taylee Logsdon, Addie Logsdon, and Alex Logsdon; dear friend, Nicholas Gunn; godchildren, Avery Gunn and Atlas Gunn; mother and father-in-law, Rich and Jennifer Gillip; and sister-in-law, Kayla Gillip.

Tony is preceded in death by his grandparents, Susann and William Logsdon; aunt, Debra Eaton; and cousin, Josh Garrison.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Anthony Leo Johnson Memorial Fund, for the care of his unborn son Liam.  They can be left at or mailed to Thurman Funeral Home, 507 East Main Street-P.O. Box 190, Richmond, MO 64085.

Visitation was held from 6 p.m.to 8 p.m. at Thurman Funeral Home, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, with a funeral service in the funeral home chapel at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021.  

Please remember to share your memories of Tony by visiting www.thurmanfuneralhome.com.