James J. Johnston

James J. Johnston (December 15th, 1951-December 27th, 2025)

Born in Queens, N.Y. to Patricia (Jones) and James Johnston Sr., Jimmy was raised in Levittown, N.Y., the second of six children. Athletic and outgoing, Jimmy made friends easily and excelled at football, basketball, and track. He was often found in a scrum of neighborhood kids, siblings, and cousins, all hanging on his every word and jockeying for attention. He maintained these friendships for decades and their affection was returned in kind; Jimmy did not hesitate to use his strength to defend others when necessary. Everyone who knew him has an extraordinary story about Jimmy intervening to protect the vulnerable: Jimmy confronting a P.E. teacher who injured his younger brother, Jimmy tracking down and returning a car radio stolen from a neighbor, Jimmy pulling a corner postbox out of the ground to free a mewing kitten cruelly dropped inside. These incredible stories sound like folk tales, legends of a modern-day Paul Bunyan, but those who knew Jimmy will confirm they are true.

Unsurprisingly, Jimmy was drawn to a career as a firefighter, a job dependent upon placing the safety of others above one’s own. The camaraderie and playful competition of the firehouse was a natural fit for a child from a large, bustling household. He served 20 years with the FDNY in a number of different communities. Jimmy spent much of his free time at the beach or on the water, a passion developed from summers spent out in Mattituck as a child. He was the captain of several pleasure boats, one memorably named Mad Dog, and spent many summer afternoons taking his friends, parents, siblings, and their families out for a day of fishing, swimming, and tooling around. He delighted in releasing freshly-caught crabs onto the boat deck while his nieces and nephews screamed and flailed in terror (before returning them safely to the water).

Following his retirement in 2001, Jimmy moved to Florida to enjoy the outdoors, but a number of chronic medical conditions brought him home to Long Island to live close to his siblings. A lifelong lover of animals, especially cats, he made himself infamous (if not beloved) for feeding every stray in his retirement community. His favorite, Little Man Tate, brought him great joy and joined the hallowed ranks of Mitsy, Mugsy, Bolt, Ralph, Scully the six-foot-tall Great Dane lapdog, and countless other pets.

Predeceased by his parents and eldest brother, Kevin, Jimmy is survived by his sister Patricia Beach (Sandy), brothers John (Brigida), Robert, and Timothy (Katherine), sister-in-law Barbara, and their families. Jimmy will be remembered as everyone’s favorite playmate, a larger than-life figure who put the needs of others before his own — family, friends, strangers, and animals alike.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting your local animal shelter in Jimmy’s memory.