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Timothy Mills Johnson

Timothy Mills Johnson, 59, of Arlington, Va., formerly of Jamestown, died Oct, 14, 2018, after a long battle with multiple myeloma.

Tim enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a journalist and senior staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives. On Capitol Hill, he was known for his dedicated work organizing and raising thousands of dollars for charitable causes through the annual Congressional Baseball Game and a number of tennis tournaments.

He was born Oct. 3, 1959, in Jamestown, to the late Roger E. Johnson and Ann Sherrill Turnell Propheter. Tim was educated at public schools in Lakewood and Jamestown, and was a member of the “It’s Academic” team and the tennis team at Jamestown High School. He was named the tennis team’s Most Valuable Player during his senior season in 1978.

After graduating from Jamestown High School, Tim attended Syracuse University, graduating in May 1982, with a double major in political science and broadcast journalism. While at Syracuse, he started his involvement with nonprofits and volunteer activities as the anchor of WAER radio’s coverage of the Muscular Dystrophy Marathon.

Following graduation, Tim returned to Jamestown at WKSN radio and also anchored local newscasts for a cable television channel. He received several awards of excellence during his time at WKSN, covered all five conferences on U.S.-Soviet relations at the Chautauqua Institution from 1985-89, and traveled to the then-Soviet Union for additional coverage.

In 1994, Tim received a congressional fellowship from the American Political Science Association and relocated to Washington. D.C. For the next 20 years, he served as a staff aide for legislation and communications to U.S. Reps. Mike Oxley (R-Ohio) and Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.). Tim’s portfolio ranged from financial services issues to the minting of a special coin to raise money for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tim was a coach and organizer for the annual Congressional Baseball Game, serving as secretary of Congressional Sports for Charity, which oversees the event. In the last two years, the game has raised $2.7 million for charitable causes. Tim was in the first-base dugout during the 2017 shooting at a Republican baseball practice in Alexandria, Va. He was invited to serve on the board of the Washington Literacy Center, which is one of the primary beneficiaries of the baseball game. Tim was vice president of the board of directors and in 2013 was honored with a Champion of Literacy Award for his service on the board.

Tim served as an organizer and steering committee member of the annual Multiple Myeloma Charity Classic, which started in 2009 and conducts an annual tennis and golf tournament backed by members of Congress. With his help, the events have raised more than $1.2 million for multiple myeloma research. Additionally, he was a member of the organizing committees of the annual Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Celebrity Tennis Gala, Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, Thanks USA (a veterans group), the Washington Kastles team tennis foundation, the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research and Hope Street Kids (childhood cancer).

Tim maintained an active competitive tennis schedule for many years, following the path of his grandfather, Nelson Turnell, an original inductee into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame. In 1996, he became president of the Capitol Hill Tennis Club, which provides a recreational tennis forum for current and former members and staff of the U.S. Congress and related agencies. He provided instruction to hundreds of tennis players at no charge, while competing in various tennis leagues in his adopted home of Arlington, Va.

He is survived by two brothers: Steven (Cynthia) Johnson of Richmond, Va., and Dr. Brett A. (Heather) Johnson of Dallas Texas; a sister, Jody (Tony) Myers of Leola, Pa.; stepfather, Allen Propheter of Jamestown; nephews: Louis (Jen) Johnson of Ashburn, Va., Christopher (Meghan) Johnson of Richmond, Va., and Caleb Myers of Leola, Pa.; and nieces: Anne (Megan) Youngblood of Nashville, Tenn., and Marcella Meyers, Julia Myers and Jessica Myers, all of Leola, Pa.

The family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 19, at Migliore Funeral Home, 415 E. Fourth St., Jamestown. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at St. John Roman Catholic Church with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851, online at https://tribute. themmrf.org/timjohnson

Migliore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.