William Johnson, Sr., a Toledo-born Navy veteran affectionately known as “Billy White Shoes,” died June 17 at his home in Cincinnati. He was 74.

He developed complications from oral and lung cancer that had metastasized, his son, Jason Johnson, said.

Mr. Johnson was known for his humor.

He got his nickname from friends in the Toledo Fire Department. He climbed the ranks to become a lieutenant and head of the department’s arson investigation unit.

Mr. Johnson was a family man who cherished time with his 27 grandchildren, and his eight great-grandchildren. Through his lifelong love of baseball, and — in particular — the Toledo Mud Hens, he developed a lasting bond with his children.

But to the community, he was known as a servant who would put his life on the line to save others.

It was that way of life that made him popular among any circle he was involved in, Jason Johnson said.

“He was just a kindhearted individual,” he said. “He was always looking out for others.”

Mr. Johnson was born on Sept. 16, 1946 in Toledo, where he graduated from the former Macomber Whitney High School in 1965.

Upon graduation, he didn’t wait to be drafted.

He enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He was commissioned to a ship that headed toward Europe on the Atlantic Ocean, eventually spending time in Spain before returning to the United States and settling on the East coast.

“He proudly jumped on board,” Jason Johnson said of his father.

When he returned to Toledo in 1975, Mr. Johnson found his calling.

He joined the fire department, quickly becoming a beloved fireman known to bring laughter to his co-workers.

It was there where he got the nickname “Billy White Shoes,” created by his firefighter friends in response to the bright white basketball shoes he wore. His nickname among his family, which expanded to the point where multiple grandpas were in the picture, eventually became “Grandpa Firefighter.”

Mr. Johnson served for 22 years as a Toledo firefighter.

He retired in 1997, but soon became employed by the Ohio Department of Transportation as a toll booth collector. He moved to Bryan, Ohio, where he met his wife, Shirley Johnson. The couple then moved to Sarasota, Fla. where Mr. Johnson became a county code enforcement officer.

Though he battled cancer, Mr. Johnson’s life was extended thanks to a kidney transplant from Kevin Bernheisel, who became his “kidney brother.”

“That kidney was a little over seven years old, and working great,” Jason Johnson said. “It was a blessing. His selfless act basically gave us a lot more years with our Dad than we would have had if he had not gotten that kidney.”

Outside of work, Mr. Johnson was a baseball fan.

He spent a lot of time coaching his sons in baseball and his daughters in softball when they were young.

He would regularly attend Mud Hens games with his kids particularly at old Ned Skeldon Stadium.

And when he moved to Florida, he became a Tampa Bay Rays season ticket holder.

Another son, John Johnson, said some of his fondest memories were spending time with his Dad at the ball park as a kid.

“We were never any good, we were a horrible young team,” he said. “And he always made it fun, even though our nine and 10-year-old season, we won one game. But I remember it being a blast and the joy that he brought to it.”

Mr. Johnson remained close with his family even after he moved to Florida.

John Johnson said he would often fly his kids down for their birthdays to spend one-on-one time with them. For John and his father, that meant outdoor activities.

While visiting one time, John recalled, he and his father ventured to the Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, where they decided they would canoe.

One problem, however, was that Mr. Johnson didn’t swim. Dozens of alligators were in the river.

“He still went,” John Johnson said. “But he didn’t paddle a lot, he just kind of stayed tight in the boat. He was a trooper in that regard. He completed the moment, as uncomfortable and concerned as he was.”

Jason Johnson said his father’s legacy will not only be his lifetime of service, but the joy he brought to his peers day in and day out.

“He did it with a smile,” he said. “We’re here a short time and no better way to live than to do it like he did, with a smile on his face, and always trying to cheer someone up by telling them a joke, or taking them to a ballgame, whatever he was doing.”

“Everywhere we’d go, we didn’t go more than 10 minutes without him running into someone and hearing a story,” he added.

Surviving are his wife, Shirley; sons, Jason, John, and William Johnson, Jr.; daughters, Kelly Ramirez and Judy Ramirez; stepdaughter Angie St. John; stepsons, Jeff George and DJ Gaffey; siblings, Tom South, Carl South, Fran Motter, John Johnson, Mary Ann Conley, Jimmy Johnson, and Cheri Leroux, as well as 27 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will take place at Christ the Word Church at 3100 Murd Rd., in Sylvania on July 1 at 3:30 p.m.

A celebration of life will immediately follow the ceremony at Richfield Township Hall located at 3951 Washburn Rd in Berkey, Ohio.

The family asks donations in Mr. Johnson’s honor to be made to the Wyoming Community Foundation.

First Published June 28, 2021, 4:00 a.m.