Rodwell "Cal" C. Johnson

Rodwell “Cal” Johnson was shaped from the start by his Depression-era childhood. Born on May 23, 1934, into a bustling, multi-generational home on the south side of Birmingham, quite literally in Vulcan’s shadow, he learned a love for cars, firearms, craftsmanship, and hard work from the family who raised him.

Steeped in the grim stories of World War II and proud of the Iron City’s muscle in the war effort, he set his sights early on military service. When he graduated from Annapolis in 1957, he was too late for that conflict, but life soon brought better fortune. In 1961, he met and married Frances Rebecca Ousley. They welcomed two sons, Rodwell and David, before Vietnam became a household word.

His service in that far land tempered youthful ideals into something harder and far more pragmatic, leaving a quiet mark he carried the rest of his days. As a Lieutenant Commander keeping bulk fuel lines moving through the siege of Rocket City and the Tet Offensive, he was awarded the Bronze Star. He never spoke much of his awards. He preferred to carry himself with the quiet professionalism of his generation. In all, he served his country in the United States Navy for twenty-two years, retiring at the rank of Commander.

By the late 1970s, the oil and gas boom drew many wandering sons back south, bringing Cal and his family to Houston. He spent the next seventeen years wheeling and dealing in the energy markets, and he loved to tell the story of buying and reselling a single oil barge four times before it even finished its Atlantic crossing. Within weeks of arriving, the family joined Northwoods Presbyterian Church on FM 1960, where Cal remained a loyal, and as many here can attest, vocal member. Over the next forty-six years, Houston and Northwoods became every bit as much a home to the Alabama boy as Birmingham ever was.

In 1985, his younger son David began a long battle with mental illness. Cal spent decades reading, searching, and questioning, not only seeking treatments for his son, but trying to reconcile his own place in the world and his relationship with faith. Definitive answers were hard to come by, even as he leaned into ancient Stoic thought later in life. After a 35-year struggle, David preceded him in death. Cal often turned to Epictetus, who observed that what upsets us is not things themselves, but our judgments about them. For Cal, that wrestling was deeply personal. As he once put it: “I was so lost in a crucible of misery and despair, I could not reconcile with what I thought was supposed to have happened.”

Following a rapid decline from dementia that began in July, Cal passed away on November 4, 2026. He was preceded in death by his father, Aubrey Johnson; his mother, Evelyn Calhoun Johnson; and his son, David. He is survived by his wife, Frances Ousley Johnson; his sister, Penny Giddens; his son, Rod, and daughter-in-law, Hara; his grandsons, Sam and Yoti; and his great-grandsons, Leo and David.

For those who wish to read more of Cal’s stories and reflections in his own words, his memoirs are preserved online at https://myorphos.com/stem-to-stern.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to NAMI Texas to support individuals and families affected by mental illness. Or better yet, simply offer a little grace and human dignity to the scruffy guy on the street who needs someone to listen.