John. J.

Johnson, President of Farmer’s Bank, dies at 74

John J. Johnson died this past Monday at 74, after a fatal heart attack that he suffered during

the first quarter of Riverdale High School basketball game against Geneva, which he was attending

that night.

Mr. Johnson resided at 1111 Main St. in Riverdale and worked as the President of the

Farmer's Bank. He was born and raised in the town and earned an MBA from Riverdale University

in 1950, where he was also an all-conference basketball player, a passion that he cherished until

the very last moments of his life.

Throughout a lifetime of commitment and engagement, Mr. Johnson held various

leadership roles in the community, demonstrating his dedication to serving and making Riverdale

a better place. Among his accomplishments, he dedicated a decade of his life to being a member

of the Riverdale School Board. In 1977, he served as the esteemed President of the State’s Bankers

Association and held a membership in Riverdale City Council for eight years.

Mr. Johnson was convicted of draft evasion in 1944, during World War II, and served six

months in prison. His unwavering belief and authenticity are deeply ingrained in the family

heritage, as his father was a longtime minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Riverdale.

Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife, Helen. Funeral services will be held for him on

Thursday at 11 a.m. at the McGrew-Johnes Funeral Home at 2121 Central Ave. in Riverdale, and

he will eventually be laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery. Mr. Johnson’s dedication continues even

after his passing due to a heart attack. In his memory, the family suggests flowers and contributions

to the local Heart Association.

Aiesha’s Comments:

● The obituary’s format is well written with an appropriate flow of ideas that covers everything

clearly without any repetition or misleading.

● Word count is within the limits of an obituary.

● The headline is short and direct. Also, it doesn’t include every tiny detail so that it could grab the

attention of the reader to have the urge to read more about what happened.
 ● There isn’t any makeup material added to the story, which makes it more credible.

● The story’s lead is strong and to the point. It contains some brief, essential information that’s strong

enough to inform the reader on what will be discussed further in depth

● Each important aspect is covered clearly and completely which covers the whole thing leading to

having a full, complete story

● A very minor issue would be in the lead by stating “left us” I feel that it would be better if you

speak more generally without positioning yourself in the middle of the story to get away any

feelings/emotions from the way, to keep the obituary as appropriate as possible

● Another comment I have, I am not sure if it’s an issue or not, honestly, but I feel that some of the

paragraphs are a bit long, so I guess it would be better if you keep them a bit shorter, also capitalize

the word “heart” for the local Heart Association

● Basic Writing Skills and Ability to tell a story: 10/10

● Spelling, grammar, and punctuation: 8/8

● Word count: 2/2

● Total: 20/20 – Good Job <3

Peer-Review: Hadia Rashwan

The lead was strong; however, I would remove “he left us” to remove myself emotionally. I felt the writing

was very smooth and told a story with a lovely flow. Her word count was also within the limit. Overall, I

would give 10 points.

As for her spelling, grammar, and punctuation, I would also give her the full mark as I did not spot any

mistakes or feel like I needed to be reading something odd. 8 points.

Her headline was hooking. It gave me a sense of what I would read without spoiling the information. 2

points.

20/20

Self Assessment:

I tried my best to follow the continuous feedback on this one. I applied all the comments from the previous

class on my second draft and got rid of any loaded adjectives, made connections between the reason for

death and request for contributions, and connected playing basketball with the deceased’s last moments

watching a basketball game.

I avoided grammar and spelling mistakes and tried to tell the story of the deceased and how his

accomplishments say something about his commitment, and I tried to keep a flow instead of just stating

information. Finally, I applied the final edits my peers suggested and found them very on point.

Suggested grade: 20/20