Vern Clarence Johnson

Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office — Kalamazoo, MI

Cardiac

End of Watch October 28, 1950

The Vigil Panel 86 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 2

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Vern Johnson suffered a fatal heart attack after responding to the scene of a crash on U.S. Route 12 (modern-day Route 96) on the western edge of Galesburg.

He and another deputy were eating dinner when they were dispatched to the crash. When they walked to their patrol car they discovered that all four tires had been deflated. They re-inflated the tires using a handpump and then responded to the crash. Deputy Johnson suddenly collapsed as he spoke to the involved parties.

Deputy Johnson was survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, brother, and three sisters.

Survivors

Deputy Johnson was survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, brother, and three sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MI-68509591
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Johnson served with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Kalamazoo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Johnson.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office

Location Kalamazoo, MI

Platform Identity kcso.kalamazoo.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 28, 1950

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Cardiac

Deputy Sheriff Vern Clarence Johnson is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MI, 39 of 718 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 5.4% of this state's fallen. That is 1.4 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.

At Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office

of 3 officers

33.3% Cardiac

MI — Statewide

of 718 officers

5.4% Cardiac

Nationwide

1,306

of 32,508 officers

4% Cardiac