Today is Father's Day and this article is about my dad. His name was Charles Franklin Johnson. He was born on October 18, 1947 and he died on July 13, 2013 at the age of sixty-five. He was named after both of his grandfathers. Dad died of Leukemia. His parents were Bonnie and Burley Johnson. Dad was raised in Sneedville, Tennessee. He and my mom moved back to Sneedville and spent the last two years of their lives there.

Mom and Dad got married on September 25, 1965. My brother and his wife also got married on September the 25th, but that was a coincidence. They didn't do that deliberately. Mom and Dad had two kids. My brother and I. My brother was born on November 28, 1967 and I was born on August 20, 1971. Dad lived the biggest part of his life in Bean Station and so have I.

I was going to visit Dad on his final Father's Day, but I had no vehicle and an old friend of mine didn't have enough gas to even come to my house to pick me up. I was however able to visit Dad six days before he died, and I'm glad that I visited him that day.

Dad was a hard worker. He could've outworked two twenty year olds. He worked for forty years or longer until he retired in 2010. From 1975-2010, he worked at a place called "Woodcraft" which is located in Morristown, Tennessee. He didn't do this often but he did do it a few times. He would get a week off with pay, but he would work that week so that he could get two paychecks. Sadly, Dad died just three years after he retired. May he Rest in Peace.