When friends or neighbors mentioned to Charles E. Johnson that they had a home project going on and might need help, he would round up people and materials to get the job done. His desire to help others also prompted him to volunteer with the Fire Department when he and his wife moved to Tinley Park in the 1950s. About three decades later, he retired as volunteer assistant chief. “He was hardworking all of his life and was always helping other people,” his son, Dick, said. Mr. Johnson died of congestive heart failure in St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights on Thursday, Feb. 19, nine days before his 80th birthday. “He was basically a guy who pretended to be gruff on the outside, but was a sweetheart on the inside,” said his daughter, Nancy Fairchild. Raised in Downstate West Frankfort, he worked for a short time in the mines in southern Illinois with his father, who emigrated from England. At 17, he joined the Navy and was stationed on a battleship outside of Washington during World War II. In 1945, he married his late wife, Betty. After his discharge, the couple moved to Tinley Park. He joined the Rock Island Railroad, rising to supervisor of the automotive fleet. In the 1970s, he became a Metra ticket agent at the Tinley Park station, retiring in 1989. Other survivors include four sisters, Rena Jackson, Margaret Aimone, Chloe Boyd, Linda White; a brother, Russell; and two grandchildren. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday in Brady-Gill Funeral Home, 16600 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park, followed by a 7:30 p.m. service in the funeral home.
