Shawn Anthony Johnson

Shawn Anthony Johnson was born on October 2, 1972, at Camp Pendleton, California. He was the only child of Ralph and Johnnie Bradshaw Johnson. Shawn departed this life on Monday, June 16, 2025 at PRISMA Health Richland Heart Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina.

Raised in a military family, Shawn spent his early childhood traveling and living at Marine Corps installations in Hawaii and California, which likely resulted in his love for travel and people. As Ralph prepared for his final posting at the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1982, Shawn and Johnnie moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where they established their family home.

While spending the bulk of his childhood and adult life in Columbia, Shawn attended Keenan High School. In 2000, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional English from Benedict College. As a college student, Shawn’s interests extended beyond the traditional classroom. A lifelong music lover, he joined the Benedict College Concert Choir. He was also a knowledgeable film buff and an early adopter of new technologies. Shawn became a brother of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship when he pledged in fall of 1995. In addition, his avid love of electronics led him to return to school to become a small electronics technician.

Shawn’s innate charm, engaging, and warm personality made him a natural at making friends and he loved being in the company of his family, friends, and acquaintances. He was a kind and generous man, who was social as well as civic minded. His caring nature extended beyond his personal sphere to the broader community, where he worked to make the lives of all people better through his involvement in numerous fundraisers, programs, community drives, and other charitable activities.

His formative years were spent as a member of Francis Burns United Methodist Church. Shawn was also an active ten-year member of the Columbia Chapter of the #1 Stunnas Motor Sports Club and “The Breakfast Club.”

Shawn was a tremendous daddy to the love of his life, his daughter Andrea. They shared a close, loving, and laugher filled relationship, and forged a strong bond during the many miles they traveled to and from Nashville, Tennessee, and many other locations as they vacationed around the country. Shawn was truly a “Girl Dad.” Everything Andrea wanted, her daddy tried to make it happen.

He was Preceded in death by his mother, Johnnie; maternal grandparents, Johnny and Mary Bradshaw; and paternal grandparents, James and Lillian Johnson.

Shawn is lovingly survived by his beloved daughter, Andrea Johnson; father, Ralph Johnson; aunts, Nancy (Melvin) Bradshaw Davis, Wanda Maupin, and Jacqueline Johnson; great grand aunt, Freda Singleton; godparents, Clayton and Sandra Reid; and his significant other, Tiffany Hughes. In addition, he leaves behind a host of special cousins, close friends who are like family, and children of his heart. He will be missed by the community of friends that he formed, nurtured, and loved.

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