Billy D.

Johnson

Billy D. Johnson departed this life on Wednesday, January 28th, 2026. He was 91 years old.

Billy was born on May 29th, 1934 to Doyle M. Johnson and Minerva E. Johnson in Centerville, MO. He was the second child for Doyle and Minerva, after their first child, Donald, was stillborn in 1932. He is survived by two daughters, Patricia Cully and Barbara (Mark) Johnson; two granddaughters, Casey (Bruce) Zimmerman and Amanda (Mitch) Johnson; one great-granddaughter, Lillie Turpin; and by several cousins, other relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, and his wife, Lillie B. Johnson in 2010. They were married in 1955.

At the age of 17, Billy began a fulfilling thirty-five year career with McDonnell Aircraft, before becoming McDonnell Douglas. He was an Experimental Mechanic that got to work on both aircrafts as well as projects for Nasa, helping to pave the way for the Apollo lunar missions. He worked on the Mercury program, the Gemini program (his favorite one) and Sky Lab.

Billy was a hard-working, intelligent man who loved his family very much. He was very knowledgeable about a great many subjects and was always willing to offer his sage advice. He was our "go-to" guy for help with just about everything. He also had an impressive long-term memory, with which he told lots of detailed stories of his life. His favorite saying was "I remember when."

He enjoyed several hobbies over the years, including Hamm radio, playing banjo in a band for a while in his younger years, and listening to early country and early bluegrass music, although he did become a big fan of Billy Strings. He loved watching the Cardinals play baseball, even when they lost. He really enjoyed eating his sweets, even though he wasn't supposed to have them. He had a passion for history and enjoyed recreational shooting – he was a great shot. He also never lost his curiosity and took advantage of Google and YouTube to keep himself informed. And he cherished the time he was able to spend with his great-granddaughter, Lillie.

Billy was a wonderful man, husband, dad, grandpa, pops, and great-grandpa. He was always a proud and excellent provider for his family, taught us many things, and would do anything for his family. He was generous, resilient, dependable, had a great laugh, and was stubborn – but we loved that about him. He was a special man and is greatly missed.

There will be a Graveside Service held Monday, February 9th at 1PM at Ellington City Cemetery

Minister: Pastor Ben Pickett

In Lieu of Flowers: Donations can be made to a charity of your choice.

Arrangements by McSpadden Funeral Home, Ellington, Missouri