William Mose (Moe) Johnson, Sr., devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and community servant passed away Monday, June 23, 2014, at the age of 84.
Moe was born June 20, 1930, on the family farm in the Goforth area. He attended Buda schools from first grade through high school, graduating in 1947 from Buda High School. During his school years, Moe met life-long friends Bob Barton and Henry Armbruster. He excelled in athletics, in particular basketball and baseball, which were two sports that he continued to play with local teams after graduation.
Moe enrolled at Southwest Texas Teachers College for a year and then served a year in the US Army. When the Korean War erupted, he reenlisted and was sent to Germany until his tour of duty ended in 1952. Returning home, Moe resumed his education and married Eugenia (Gene) Crumley of San Marcos on September 11, 1952.
In 1953, Moe and friend Bob Barton purchased the Kyle News. The two college students had no newspaper experience and limited funds, but jumped into the business none-the-less. A year later, Johnson accepted the position of coach at Kyle High School, selling his interest in the newspaper to Bob for a box of cigars.
His coaching and teaching responsibilities at Kyle included teaching eight different subjects and coaching all boys sports in the junior high and senior school. In addition, he drove the bus to games, maintained the fields, and kept the dressing rooms clean.
During Moe’s coaching years, the Kyle Panthers basketball never lost district. His teams won regional and played in the state basketball tournament every year from 1956-1960 and were state finalists in 1959. During those years, Kyle lost only one home game and posted a record of 172 wins and 34 losses.
In 1960, Moe became the new superintendent of the Kyle school district. This began an administrative career that lasted 24 years. Working without the support staff that is common today, he provided oversight for the district’s curriculum, financial record-keeping and payroll, hiring, maintenance, and transportation.
In 1967, he was chosen to lead the consolidation of Kyle, Buda, and Wimberley into the new Hays Consolidated Independent School District. For many, Moe was the logical choice to lead the effort since he could bridge the often intense rivalry between those two communities. The good faith effort by Moe and the board members of the community school districts ensured a successful launch of the new district and Johnson would go on to lead the HCISD as superintendent until his retirement in 1984.
He stayed busy after retirement, serving as a school consultant with the architectural firm, Pfluger and Associates and serving for many years on the Texas Education Agency’s Region 13 board. He and Gene also wrote the story of Kyle High School in their book, Panthers Fight, Never Die. They dedicated themselves to community efforts such as the preservation of Old Town Kyle and the construction of the new Kyle library. Moe was a faithful member of Kyle First Baptist Church for many years, serving as a Sunday School teacher and deacon. More recently he was a member and deacon at First Baptist, Buda.
Moe is survived by his sister, Mac Freeman of Buda; daughter, Leslie Jones and her husband Glen of Buda, Texas; son Buddy Johnson and his wife Nancy of Buda, Texas; son Bobby Johnson and his wife Pam of Longview, Texas; six granddaughters: Reagan Berry, Sarah Johnson, Emily Johnson, Bethany Johnson, and Hannah Johnson; three grandsons: Jason Jones, Kyle Berry, and Trey Johnson; one great-grandson, Wylie Berry; and numerous nieces and nephews, including his favorite “riding-around buddy,” nephew Billy Lancaster.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mose Johnson and Mabel MacMillian Johnson and two sisters, Elizabeth Lancaster and Ethel Gould. In August 2013 his wife, Gene, preceded him in death.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, June 27 at Harrell Funeral Home, Kyle. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 at the Kimbro Building next to Kyle Elementary. Burial to follow at Kyle Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Moe Johnson’s memory may be made to the building fund of First Baptist Church of Buda, Texas or to the Kyle Public Library.
The family thanks Seton Hays Hospital and at Legend Oaks Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Kyle for the care and compassion. Heartfelt thanks also go to the outpouring of community members who have expressed their condolences and respect for Moe.
