Matthew Douglas Johnson

Matthew Douglas Johnson, 35, of Fulton, was called to his heavenly home on August 16, 2021, following a valiant battle against cancer. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona on August 24, 1985, to Grover C. Johnson III and Laura Gail (Ward) Ponder. On July 7, 2007, Matthew married Jennifer L. (Hoell) Johnson who survives his passing. Matthew was a strong believer in God and had a solid relationship with Jesus. Even when he had questions, he knew God was big enough to handle them. Matt tried hard to reflect Christ's character in his daily life as a husband, father, friend, and human. Matthew was a proud father. He loved being with his kids; biking, adventuring, playing board games, video games, and sharing his love for movies and music. He was selfless enough to allow his wife to work out of the home and made it his top priority to be home with his kids. He was very blessed by his military career and proud to be a Marine. Following his time in the service, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Business, but kept continuously learning. Matthew was a black belt in karate and enjoyed teaching at the YMCA. He was a certified handgun instructor, taught learn-to-carry classes, and was adamant about gun safety and firearms education. Along with collecting firearms, he enjoyed building them. Matthew worked part-time at Modern Arms to feed his love for guns and the firearm industry. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Jennifer and their children, Gabriel Aldrick, Timothy Brennan, and Lauragwen Adelaide "Addie"; parents, Grover C. Johnson III (Mary) of Osage Beach, and Laura Gail Ponder (Ed) of Russellville; brothers, Grover C. Johnson IV of Osage Beach, and Ryan Ponder of Whiteman Air Force Base; sisters, Amanda Wilbers (Kyle) of Taos, Vicky Wieberg (Bryan) of Russellville, Beth Groll (Dustin) of Osage Beach, and Colleen Jansen (Curtis) of Bonnots Mill; paternal grandmother, Leona Johnson of McGirk, and maternal grandparents, Glenda Rose of Russellville, and Ronald and Linda Ward of Springfield; and many nieces and nephews. Matthew was preceded in death by brother, Aaron Ponder; and grandparents, Grover Johnson II, and Ralph Rose. A Celebration of Life will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 27, 2021, at Woodcrest Chapel in Columbia, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to KCA School Building Fund, Mercury One, Operation Underground Railroad, The Nazarene Fund, and Hostetter Ministries, c/o Maupin Funeral Home, 301 Douglas Boulevard, Fulton, MO 65251. The family encourages friends and family to leave their stories of Matthew at www.maupinfuneralhome.com to be shared with his children.