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Los Angeles Times article:

John Edmond Jr., popular golf teacher at Rancho Park in West L.A., dies at 67

To read the article, click on this link: www.LATimes.com

Johnnie B. Edmond Jr. was born in Springfield, Illinois, to Geraldine and John Edmond Sr. in 1942. The family was very close as Johnnie was raised with three siblings: Lois, Cassandra, and James. His father had a great influence on Johnnie, as he was a man of strength who led by example. His father worked as a school principal, while his mother was a stay-at-home mom. His parents were very involved with the Baptist Church, leading Bible Study classes and actively participating in church gatherings. The family enjoyed holidays together. Johnnie shared a love of sports with his father and learned how to play basketball and golf from his dad. Johnnie and his father loved golf so much, in the cold weather of Illinois, they put up a mattress against the wall in the garage so they could swing the golf club and hit the golf balls. When Johnnie was 10-years-old, his family moved when his father earned a new job as a principal in Los Angeles. His father always stressed education and Johnnie was an excellent student and math genius. Beyond the classroom, he was a stand out basketball player and golfer. It was in high school when Johnnie met his future wife, Alberta, through her sister and friend. Johnnie graduated from Los Angeles High School and Los Angeles City College, where he studied engineering and math.

In 1962, Johnnie became the first African American professional golf instructor at a city course. Then, volunteering for his country, Johnnie served in the United States Army from 1964 until his honorable discharge from service in 1970. While he was in service, his parents moved to Africa for missionary and educational teaching. While in the Army, Johnnie was stationed in Germany where he was in the Special Forces earning a rank of Special 4 with a focus on Radar and Strategic Command. He was very proud of his service to the United States. When he returned to Los Angeles, he worked as a surveyor for the city before focusing on golf.

Alberta and Johnnie loved music and dancing. In 1969, the couple was married at Saint Basils Roman Catholic Church on Wilshire Boulevard and they honeymooned in Monterey. The couple had a beautiful daughter whom they named Victoria. Johnnie was so very proud of Victoria and loved her very much. Although Alberta and Johnnie grew apart and divorced, they always remained good friends and never remarried. They raised Victoria together.

Pursuing what he loved, Johnnie wanted to golf professionally. He set out around the country playing at courses in numerous states. He lived out of his van while traveling to golf tournaments with a goal to qualify for the PGA. With a lot of hard work, he achieved his goals and became a PGA cardholder. In 1972, he went professional. Johnnie and his brother, Jimmy, who golfed recreationally, enjoyed playing together but encountered resistance along the way. At that time in history, there was discrimination and even though Johnnie was invited to country clubs to play, they wouldn't always treat him with respect. But, Johnnie chose to ignore the behavior saying, "Once you become a good golfer, you're well-respected." He believed in earning respect and he did that in so many ways. He always believed in the rules and etiquette of golf. A stylish dresser, he also dressed up on and off of the golf course. Whether he was practicing, playing or teaching, he was usually wearing a shirt, jacket, slacks and dress shoes. Everything he did, he did with great pride. When he became a golf instructor at Rancho Park Golf Course, he became well known in Los Angeles. Golfers from around town went to Johnnie for lessons. He taught for more than three decades at Rancho Park and his students loved him. He helped hundreds of students over the years. He videotaped his students to help them and he would check on them in the evenings to see how they played or how they were doing in general. Johnnie was a positive influence and he had a way of looking at challenges and turning them into a positive. His life was on the golf course, which focused on his teachings and his students.

Johnnie had Victoria on the golf course at an early age. He bought Victoria her first set of golf clubs when she was only 4-years-old. She learned how to drive before the age of ten by driving the golf cart around the course, although it's said that she had a lead foot. Johnnie enjoyed getting together with family for the holidays when Victoria was young. Family was important and Johnnie took Victoria through Arkansas to visit family and back through Mounds, Illinois, to see his childhood home where he grew up. The hardest part of Johnnie's life was his mother and brother Jimmy's deaths. Truly, the best part of his life was always his family.

Johnnie was always polite. You could hear him addressing others as mam and sir throughout the day. He believed in getting a good education and encouraged Victoria to use proper language such as "yes" instead of "yeah." He taught his daughter so many things and he was proud of all of her accomplishments. He loved watching Victoria and Jimmy play sports, too. When she was in high school, he was the assistant coach for her Varsity basketball team. He was very vocal with the referees and one time he was escorted off the court, but with his help in coaching, Victoria's team won the championship. Johnnie also enjoyed watching his nephew Jimmy play basketball. He'd even travel to Michigan and Illinois to his games for support. Johnnie was very family oriented. He attended Victoria's high school graduation and he took her on a drive up the coast to Stanford so she could see the campus before she applied. Years later, with pride, he attended her Stanford graduation. After Medical School, she moved to Chicago but she always stayed in touch. He enjoyed talking to her by phone.

Johnnie loved playing golf especially in the rain. And, he loved teaching. He didn't believe in yelling on the course or throwing clubs. If you did that, he'd ask you to find some positive focus or another teacher. Instead, he inspired students of all ages to believe in their ability to master the sport with a positive attitude. His students gave him accolades and showered him with incredible gifts. One of his students gave him one of Bobby Jones' golf clubs. Johnnie never wanted for anything as he lived his life in a simple way, but he greatly appreciated the joys people gave to him in life. Over the years, many people asked him for advice and he even gave verbal advice about golf as he grew ill, with his expertise on how to play the game.

With many favorites in life, Johnnie loved all sports. In fact, his family was all too familiar with the weekend sports lineup. He liked watching sports games on TV including football, basketball, and golf tournaments. He enjoyed playing many sports, especially basketball, golf and bowling. His engineering and physics understanding helped him to excel in bowling and shooting pool. Over the years he always played cards with the guys. The group would go to Herb's house to play poker or pinochle and watch sports events. Even after Herb married Gwen, the group continued to meet. And, Herb's wife never refused them as they always had a great time. Herb and the guys were so important to Johnnie. They were his friends, his advisor, and even his dentist. As time has gone by, the eyesight has diminished. It got to the point that the group of men needed larger cards to play. Victoria sent Johnnie an oversized deck of cards and the men played with the larger cards just a few weeks ago.

Johnnie loved all types of music especially Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, The Standards and Jack Jones. He was always humming or whistling and when TV commercials came on, he switched over to the music channel to gain comfort. He loved good food and good wine. A bit of a gardener, he was very talented at growing cherry tomatoes, while attempting to also grow lettuce and other vegetables. His garden was not always recognized as the gardener couldn't recognize his lettuce plants and accidentally cut them down sometimes.

"Love" was Johnnie's word. In fact, he reminded people that every day was beautiful and everything was possible through love. His friends took comfort in his smile. He used the word "love" on his telephone greeting. Sometimes he'd sing on his greeting to make people smile. His current message in his voice says, "May your days be filled with laughter and your nights filled with love. Happy holidays..." He also saved messages on his answering machine that made him happy. One of those messages is from his granddaughter, Alexandra, as she sings Happy Birthday to her Gramps. He loved two-year-old Alexandra, as she is so smart, cute and talented. She can read words and she plays the guitar, harmonica, and she can whistle, just like Gramps. He was so proud of her and talked about his granddaughter all the time to his friends.

With an apropos meeting, Johnnie first met his future son-in-law, Lonnie, where they could watch sports together. With a common bond in sports, they hit it off immediately. Lonnie really liked him and described Johnnie as a true gentleman. Johnnie proudly walked his daughter down the aisle to marry Lonnie in a beautiful wedding ceremony. It was a spectacular day and he was so proud of his daughter and everything she had accomplished in life.

While there was a lot of travel built into his golfing, Johnnie more recently took train trips to visit old friends and to see the countryside. He appreciated the natural terrain of the country. When his granddaughter, Alexandra, was born, he flew in for a visit to Washington D.C. and then took the train home. Even on these trips he managed to make lifetime friends as he often did wherever he went.

Diagnosed with lymphoma a year ago, he opted not to let others know as he didn't want them to worry about him. He went to Seattle for a few months for a stem cell transplant. In July, he visited Victoria and Lonnie in Washington D.C. for Alexandra's birthday celebration. He was proud that Alexandra already had her own set of golf clubs. He loved spending time with her so much.

Johnnie didn't like to waste things and knowing his prognosis when things took a turn, he started giving things away to people. He always had the habit of helping others. He'd pick up golf clubs to give to kids so they could learn to play golf. He also donated clothes to people who needed them. Wherever Johnnie went, people knew him. Even in the hospital, people knew him. At Hospice, the doctor told Victoria, "We just love your father. What a gentleman."

Recently, he told his sister, Lois, "I've had a wonderful life. No regrets." He also assured her that he had accepted the Lord as his savior. In many ways, he comforted his family and prepared them. He also prepared his students. Victoria was with him when he called a young boy, one of his students, and told him he wouldn't be able to teach him anymore. He told the student how proud he was of what he had accomplished.

His friends, Vicky King and the Freidmans, were with him through a lot of the process of what he was facing, checking in on him and taking him to appointments. Numerous friends and family visited him during his last few weeks. Those like Alberta enjoyed their time with him at Hospice. His good friend, Sam, was able to give him their usual knuckle pound. Those more far away like his beloved cousin Brenda, was able to talk with him on the phone one last time the day before he passed. Brenda was like a sister to him. In the end, he passed away peacefully. His sister, Sandy, says that Johnnie was an angel brought here to guide us all and now he has broken wings and has to go back to have them mended. The family is grateful to all of his friends for their support and love.

He told his daughter a decade ago, that it was his wish to be cremated like Jimmy and laid to rest near his family at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. He requested a simple graveside gathering to allow people to say what they wanted to say to celebrate his life. His final request was for three words on his tombstone: "Love is all." His daughter is honoring his wishes.

Over the course of his life, Johnnie played golf with many different people and always enjoyed it. His ability as a player and teacher were legendary. FBI Special Agent Mark Hunter was a teenager when he began taking lessons with Johnnie, going on to win a golf scholarship to Cal State Fullerton. "I've taken lessons from other pros, including well-known guys. They didn't make a difference," Hunter told the Los Angeles Times Magazine in 2003. It was for a story about Johnnie's accomplishments, describing him as a man of integrity who taught him on and off the course "about dedication, discipline, hard work." One of his elderly students said that Johnnie gave her a purpose to get up in the morning and play golf. Other students such as Ruth and Herb Hoffman became a part of his second family. For every student, golf was something they could do as it offered a mental and physical challenge. He taught hundreds of students and several of his family members how to golf. Through his teachings, Johnnie made people feel good and they were proud of themselves. The truth is, he taught them so much more than golf.

A people person, Johnnie will be best remembered as a man who made a difference in so many lives. He was featured in many magazines and newspaper articles. In 2006, he was recognized as Los Angeles Magazine's Best Golf Instructor. He was a man who loved golf, sports, friends and family. He was very likeable and always gave positive advice. Kind, generous, thoughtful and humble, he was a wonderful brother, father, grandfather and friend. He was most proud of his daughter and granddaughter, whom he loved with all of his heart. His family will miss everything about him. Sandy will miss Johnnie because they were very close. Lois will miss calling him because he was so positive. Victoria will miss all of the calls to check on him and she will miss his laugh. Johnnie Edmond Jr. will be laid to rest near his parents and his brother at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. His military service was honored in a ceremony at the Los Angeles VFW by a three-man detail and honor guard with the United States Army.

Johnnie was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jimmy Edmond. He is loved and remembered by his daughter Dr. Victoria Edmond Davis, son-in-law Dr. Lonnie Davis and granddaughter Alexandra Davis; sister Cassandra Curtis and nephew James Curtis; sister Lois Gray; former wife Alberta Edmond; nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, many friends and hundreds of students.

With every golf ball hit, Johnnie B. Edmond Jr. will be remembered...