Reuben Sylvester Johnson was born on Friday, April 12, the
102nd day of the year 1946, in Hannah Town, Kingston,
Jamaica. He was the first born to Doris Bailey and Earl
Johnson.
Reuben began his formal education at St. Anne’s Catholic
School. After graduation, he studied the trade of auto
mechanics at the Motor Sale Car Dealership. He excelled in
this field, and was later employed by the same company as a
mechanic. He continued in this occupation until he landed
what, at that time, was his dream job, 3rd Engineer on the
ship Kirkland Cargo. He worked on the Kirkland Cargo for
many years.
In 1972, at the age of twenty-six, Reuben migrated to the
United States. Shortly thereafter, armed with the skills of his
trade, he gained employment at Lee Myles, an auto repair
shop chain. In 1979, Reuben purchased a taxi, which he
operated under the auspices of the New York City Taxi and
Limousine Commission.
While renting an apartment in Mount Vernon, Reuben met
the love of his life, Genevieve Hurbs, affectionately known as
“Jenny.” It took him a long time just to get Jenny to say yes
to going out on a date with him; however, he was persistent,
and pursued her relentlessly. It was truly a challenge for him,
probably the hardest one, but finally she gave in, and they
began dating.
On July 29, 1989, Reuben and Jenny became one in the union
of matrimony. They subsequently migrated to Florida. After
11 years of marriage, on July 2, 2000, they welcomed their first
born, Zachary. He was the joy of Reuben’s life. On January
18, 2003, his joy was heightened when Joshua came along.
Reuben worked at Florida Heating and Air Conditioning for
many years, continuing to utilize his gift for working with his
hands. In addition, he also worked at Winn-Dixie and Sun
Sentinel as a part-time employee. Reuben was a very zealous
worker who took great pride in whatever he did. His strong
work ethic was evident by the fact that he was never late or
absent from work. In fact, on one occasion his boss had to
force him to take an involuntary two week vacation. While
Reuben did take the vacation, he was not pleased with his
Reuben Sylvester Johnson boss for urging him to do so.
Reuben always believed that breakfast, the first meal for the day,
was the most important. Being the eldest of five children, he took
on the responsibility of preparing breakfast for his siblings every
morning. It was always the same menu, scrambled eggs with salt
fish. As a husband and a father, he continued the same tradition.
He would oftentimes prepare meals for the family, and took great
pleasure in watching them enjoy their meals. Every morning since
his children were small, Reuben would make sure that he got up
early enough to make them breakfast. When they came of age,
he would tell them that they were old enough to make their own
breakfast. However, he never gave them the opportunity to do so.
He wanted to make sure that they had a healthy breakfast before
heading off to school or work. He would remark, “children cannot
learn on an empty belly.”
At 12 midnight, on a Tuesday, in the year 2003, while in bed,
Reuben was filled with the Holy Ghost. He could not wait to be
in church. He wanted to be baptized immediately; however,
Jenny told him that he would have to wait until that Sunday. The
Wednesday of the same week he went to Bible studies and testified
about his encounter to the congregation. Two weeks after, he was
baptized in the family of God at New Life Fellowship Center, where
he worshipped until his demise. Reuben was a prayer warrior. He
would pray five times a day, on his knees, in his garage. He would
call others at random and pray with or for them. He adorned
himself with the gospel of God at all times. His favorite pastime
was reading his Bible and watching MSNBC.
During Reuben’s stay in the hospital, church brothers, sisters, and
family members would pray for him during their visit. He would
be laying calmly until you started praying. At that point, he would
open his eyes and move his mouth, as if he wanted to join in. He
was truly passionate about praying, and those gathered could tell
that he was hearing them.
On February 20, 2020, the Lord summoned Reuben home. He
leaves behind: his loving wife, Jenny; his beloved sons, Zachary,
Michael, and Joshua; sister, Madge; brothers, Teddy and Larry;
sisters-in-law, Sherian and Hillary; brothers-in-law, Michael,
Wayne, Tony, and Ted; nieces and nephews; and a host of family
and friends, too many to mention.
Reuben will be sorely missed, but fondly remembered.
We pray that our Almighty God grants eternal rest and peace.
For all this and more, we pray.
Reuben, we all miss you and love you dearly.