Ani Amirkhanian
Russ Johnson, a beloved coach at Bellarmine-Jefferson High School and
St. Finbar Parish School in Burbank, died on Wednesday. He was 67.
Johnson was the athletic director and football coach at St. Finbar
from 1975 to 1995. He was also a member of the first graduating class
at the school.
"He was so dedicated to teaching and coaching children and young
people," said Bernie Dourisboure, a longtime friend of Johnson.
Dourisboure and Johnson coached their sons' T-ball team together. "He
had so much patience. Anybody who got in contact with him never
forgot him."
Johnson was also employed with the Federal Aviation Administration
as the San Fernando Valley's high desert technical operation manager
based in Burbank.
He started coaching at Bellarmine-Jefferson from 1993 to 2003 and was inducted into the Catholic Youth Organization's Hall of Fame on
April 18, 1996.
"He was the one that was responsible for me to get into coaching,"
Doug Nicol, a former coach at St. Finbar, said. "Russ got me started
when I was an 18-year-old kid starting coaching at St. Finbar."
Nicol, who coached basketball at Bellarmine-Jefferson from 1984 to
1994, also coached the first volleyball team at the school with
Johnson.
From 1975 to 1985, Johnson chaired the St. Finbar Annual Fiesta, a
three-day carnival fundraiser. Proceeds from the carnival went toward
helping pay for student scholarships and other expenses for the
school.
"He was really respected," Glenn Johnson, Johnson's son, said. "It
was amazing to see how many people knew him in town. They remember my
dad coaching him and the stuff they had learned."
Born on Jan. 28, 1938, in Pawhuska, Okla., Russ Johnson moved to
Burbank in 1946. He landed his first coaching job in 1955 at Nazareth House, a foster home in Burbank.
Mike Graceffo, who worked with Johnson at St. Finbar for 11 years,
remembered Johnson, who was not just a coach but a mentor who led by
example.
"Not only was he a fellow coach and mentor, he was a good friend,"
Graceffo said. "He was just a good person, always preaching to the
kids about responsibility, being on time, getting good grades and
being a good person."
When he retired from the FAA in 2003, Johnson continued coaching
at Bellarmine-Jefferson as a walk-on coach.
"He was a good role model," Dourisboure said. "He taught kids how
to play the game of life."
Johnson is survived by his wife Margot Johnson, sons Glenn and
Gary Johnson and brother Mike Johnson.
A rosary will be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday at St. Robert-Bellarmine
Church, 133 N. Fifth St., Burbank.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Monday at St.
Robert-Bellarmine Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that people send
donations to the International Myeloma Foundation, 12650 Riverside
Drive., Suite 206, North Hollywood, 91607.
