Hal Rodney Johnson

Funeral: 3 p.m. Aug. 24, at James River Church South Chapel. Visitation to be held one hour prior to service, also at the church. A burial will follow the next day, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m., at Many Springs Baptist Church, eight miles east of Alton.

Hal Rodney Johnson was born Aug. 3, 1936, to Walker and Maude Johnson in Alton, Missouri. He was the youngest of six boys. Hal made a profession of faith as a young man and was born again and baptized in the Eleven Points River. As a man of God, he later went on to serve in many leadership roles in churches and the community. He served as Deacon and a Sunday school teacher of young people and old. He was an Optimist and Lion’s Club member, served on the Nursing Home Board, and one of his favorite positions was getting to be involved in sports as a member for the Missouri State High School Athletic Association Board.    

In 1954, Hal graduated from Alton High School. Due to his skills on the basketball court at the state tournament, he was offered a full-ride scholarship to attend the University of Missouri in Columbia. In 1956, Hal married Mary Fern Williams and to this union two children were born: Hal Rodney II and Ronda Fern. 

Hal earned a specialist degree in school administration and was always active in sports. In his years in the school system, he served as a teacher, coach, counselor, principal and superintendent. He began teaching in a one-room school house with first through eighth-graders in Many Springs.

His teaching career spanned schools in Alton, West Plains and Couch. In 1966, he became a principal at Raymore-Peculiar High School. In 1971, he accepted the position of superintendent in Adrian. In 1979, Hal became the superintendent of Nixa Public Schools, from which he retired in 1988.

Retirement brought Hal and Fern closer to their grandchildren near Kansas City, where he worked part-time work in the school system. He also became a realtor and worked in a bank. 

Hal’s love for sports was passed down to his children and grandchildren. Rodney and Ronda both played basketball in high school. Retirement gave Hal and Fern the freedom to follow their grandchildren’s sports. Ashlie was their first-born grandchild, whom they enjoyed watching play volleyball, basketball, softball and track. Their grandson, RJ, focused on baseball, and they enjoyed traveling to California, Arizona, and Kansas to watch him play, too. Hal was his grandson Dane’s first basketball coach at five-years-old. He taught Dane how to shoot the three-pointer. Hal and Fern drove 6,000 miles in six weeks across the west coast to watch their granddaughter, Emily, play volleyball for Gonzaga. Their youngest granddaughter, Kelly, played soccer for Texas Christian University. They were known to be dressed in purple as they traveled  to Fort Worth, Texas for many home games. 

Combining business, pleasure and his love for Branson, Hal enjoyed managing the Southern Oaks Inn. He thrived in this environment where he could reconnect with old friends. He was a regular attendee to almost every show, so he could give good feedback to motel guests and get them discounted tickets.   

In 2005, after Hal’s grandson’s team won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, he and Fern relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, where they had reserved seats for all the games Dane played at Creighton University.  

In 2009, Hal and Fern moved home to Nixa, Missouri.  

Hal is survived by his wife, Mary Fern Johnson; children Hal Rodney Johnson II and wife Valerie and daughter Ronda Fern Watts and husband Mark. The joy of his life were his grandchildren: Ashlie Brevard and husband, Jay, Hal Rodney Johnson III, Dane Watts and wife Coco, Emily Johnson and husband Dan, and Kelly Harrell and husband Blake. Hal was also blessed to be actively involved with his four great-grandchildren: Ezekiel Watts, Selena Watts, Leonie Fern Watts and Julian Brevard. He is also survived by two brothers, Irvin and Ben Johnson, many nieces and nephews, as well as many other young people Hal and Fern called their own.