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Johnson  serves as chaplain at the Cattaraugus County Jail and is the coordinator of the Tri-County Disaster Relief for the flood that happened between Aug. 9-10 in Gowanda, N.Y., and the surrounding Tri-County area.

By Joseph Bell

Record Staff Writer

For Ridgway native Fred Johnson Jr., learning to respect others and work hard has paid off greatly.
Born to the late Frederick Johnson Sr. and Margaret Johnson, who still resides in Portland Mills, the 1970 Ridgway Area High School graduate currently serves multiple roles since becoming a deacon in 2005.
"I attended Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, N.Y. from 1999 until 2005," Johnson said. "I was ordained a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Buffalo in June of 2005.
"I am the Director of Love in the Name of Christ which is a non-profit corporation that helps churches help people."
Johnson also serves as chaplain at the Cattaraugus County Jail and is the coordinator of the Tri-County Disaster Relief for the flood that happened between Aug. 9-10 in Gowanda, N.Y., and the surrounding Tri-County area.
Looking back at his high school days, the deacon said he specifically remembers two coaches having the biggest impact on his life.
" The two people from school that had the biggest impact on me were coach Mondock and coach Catalano," Johnson said. "I learned to respect others, work hard and never give in or give up. "These values I tried to pass along to my son. He was selected as the All School, All Sports, Sportsmanship Award winner."
Today, Johnson, along with his wife Nancy, try to surround their children with good people to help them succeed.
"That is how I feel about the years that I spent in Ridgway," Johnson said. "Everyone helped me become the man that God needed me to be."
Johnson also remains active in 4-H along with his wife, and also acknowledged Betty Geer for her guidance in 4-H.
"Nancy and I are the coordinators for 4-H Shooting Sports in Chautauqua County, N.Y. and I am on the Swine program committee and we are also Club Leaders," Johnson said. "Nancy and I have been married for 25 years and have two great young adult children, Calyna, who is a senior music major at Fredonia State University and our son Ethan is a freshman at Fredonia State University studying early childhood education.
"They are both very active in church, community and 4-H."
Johnson's sister Debbie now lives in Atlanta. Along with his mother, brothers Richard and David Johnson still resides in Ridgway with their families.