Easy to talk to, kind-hearted, super sweet and soft-spoken is how senior Kevin Johnson will be remembered by his peers in the business and society class and the Keene State community.
Johnson died from possible complications from diabetes on Oct. 9, according to his mother, Janice Moran.
In January 2022, Johnson was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), for which he received treatment for a week, according to Moran.
DKA is a condition resulting from not being able to produce enough insulin, according to the Mayo Clinic.
While not confirmed, Moran said she believes it could have come back as doctors warned it was possible.
She said it is something that could appear in 24 hours and has symptoms that can go under the radar for someone like Johnson, who was trying to lose weight, something that was very important to him.
In an email sent to The Equinox from his roommate Nicholas Gaskin, who said he was not ready to be interviewed, he mentioned Johnson’s love for popcorn, as he would have a bag every night.
“Kevin was an amazing person,” Gaskin stated. “He was always there to talk or listen.”
Senior Ray Laventure was in Johnson’s poetry workshop class. Prior to being in class with Johnson, he said his interactions with Johnson were minimal, but he got to know him a little through class.
He said Johnson was a “really sweet kid” and “always seemed happy to be in class.”
“It’s three hours long and it’s a night class, so I find that my morale at that time of day lags a lot and he never seemed to have a problem with it, he was always smiling,” Laventure said.
In class, Johnson was always happy to read out loud and took any critiques with a smile, he said.
“He’s just a really nice presence to have in the classroom,” he said.
Now, Laventure said, “There’s something missing from class that’s a little bit quieter and a little bit less jovial.”
A small memorial was held on the edge of Brickyard Pond on Oct. 17, where students from his business and society class gathered to remember him. They laid flowers and sent some off into the pond in remembrance.
Marie Duggan, the class’ professor, shared, “I’m really honored to have known him … I think I can speak for the class of 2024, he’ll be remembered forever.”
Professor and Equinox Advisor Rodger Martin taught Johnson in the poetry workshop class. He read Kevin’s final poem to the group, “Twilight.” “He was someone who tended to be quiet … but poetry seemed to be a good vehicle for him,” Martin said at the memorial.
Afterward, the students gathered in the Mason Library to have milk and cookies, while continuing work on their class projects.
In interviews with students from the class, they said Johnson always participated.
“[He] always had something to contribute,” one student said.
Others mentioned how easy he was to talk to and his good sense of humor.
An avid Beatles fan and history buff, Johnson would be able to “talk your ear off” about those topics, Moran said over the phone with The Equinox.
She remarked that the day of his death is actually John Lennon’s birthday, Johnson’s favorite member of the Beatles.
Additionally, she noted how Johnson found Christianity himself while growing up with Moran being Catholic and his father, Arthur Johnson, being a Protestant.
As a devoted Christian, Johnson read the entirety of the King James Bible and would listen to the Audible version of the book as he walked around campus, she said.
For Johnson’s future plans, Moran said he was very smart and artistic.
She remembered Johnson telling her how he wanted to sell hot dogs and open up a food truck. “The crazy thing is … Kevin doesn’t eat hot dogs and he doesn’t drink soda,” she said. “So I said, ‘Kevin, why?’ And he goes. ‘I’m not gonna eat my profits.’ ”
Moran added she could envision him buying a truck and decorating the inside and the outside to his liking.
Additionally, Moran admired a drawing of lilies of the valley hung up on her office wall that Johnson drew when he was eight years old.
Along with the idea to open up the hotdog truck, Johnson was a very good cook, His father said in a phone interview with The Equinox.
“He could make a beef wellington that would put restaurants to shame,” he said.
He remembers asking his son “Why don’t you go to culinary school,” and Johnson would reply, “Eh I don’t want to.”
As for Johnson’s other interests, like history, Arthur Johnson said he was like “a walking encyclopedia.”
Johnson would be able to tell anybody the history of The Monarchies in Europe, from different Russian czars to different wars that occurred around the world.
Although he might have been quiet with social pragmatic problems, she assured Johnson was very happy at KSC.
“He worked really really hard to stay on campus,” Moran said. “He loved it there so much.”
Tim Bruns can be contacted at
tbruns@kscequinox.com
This article has been updated with an interview with Arthur Johson, Kevin Johnson’s father.
