Johnie H. Herbert, Jr.

Johnie H. Herbert, Jr. passed away suddenly on May 12, 2020 in Weatherford, Texas at the age of 83.

Johnie was born at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas on February 23, 1937 – the first-born child to Johnie Howard Herbert and Nora Fenolia (Wood) Herbert.

A gifted musician, Johnie shared his beautiful singing voice throughout his life, starting with the junior and senior-high choirs at Hemphill Presbyterian Church, where he spent his childhood church years. He later played the trumpet and was a member – and frequent soloist – in the Glee Club at Polytechnic High School, where he graduated in 1955.

Also an accomplished athlete, Johnie started off his young years playing sports in his East Fort Worth neighborhood with himself against all the younger kids, according to his sister. He was a lifelong golfer and volunteered as a marshall on the 13th hole at the Colonial golf tournament for many years. He also played football and baseball in high school and was offered scholarships to play collegiate football at both Texas Tech and Midwestern State University. However, he decided to accept a full academic scholarship in engineering, the Convair Son Scholarship, and although the scholarship provided the offer to attend any school in the United States, he chose SMU, where he graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

During his SMU years, he was a co-op engineering student, requiring him to work at Convair while attending college. Also during his time at SMU, he pledged Delta Chi fraternity and was part of the team which took care of Peruna, the university mascot.

Johnie’s father, a commercial artist at Convair, told him that he had a woman working for him who “resembled the woman on the Dr Pepper billboard” – and once they were introduced, Johnie and Glenda Reynolds, from Weatherford, became fast friends and later started dating; they were married on October 12, 1957. Exactly three years later, they welcomed their son, Brad. But early on, they realized Brad was not crawling at the appropriate age – clearly, they knew something was wrong. Some initial testing was done, followed by more definitive tests several years later, and it was determined that their son had a neuromuscular disease and would not be able to walk. Johnie and Glenda were the ultimate team – facing the biggest challenge of their marriage – raising and caring for their son throughout his entire life, providing him with the utmost in confidence and positive thinking even in the face of a lifelong physical disability – until his death in 1996. They welcomed their daughter, Shelly, six years after their son, and together Johnie and Glenda fostered a deep closeness between the two siblings.
Johnie became a fixture in First United Methodist Church of Weatherford after Glenda and he moved to Weatherford from Fort Worth in 1963. He was an integral part of the choir – a 50-year member – where where he sang bass and performed numerous solos through the years at weddings, funerals and special performances. He also became a member of the adult handbell choir where he actively played for 30+years. In addition, following the death of its founder, Johnie taught The Brogdon Sunday School class for nearly 35 years. For many years he served and/or chaired numerous committees and boards at the church, including: the Administrative Board, Pastor Parish Relations, and Finance Committee. And he also served as chair of the Family Life Center Building Committee, overseeing the design and construction of the facility, which opened in early 2000.

Starting at Convair in 1956, Johnie spent his entire 40-year engineering career at the company as it transitioned to General Dynamics and later to Lockheed Martin. He ultimately rose to be Senior Manager, Training Systems, where he traveled extensively, both domestically and internationally, leading his group in designing training systems for the F-16. In his earlier years, he worked on other aircrafts such as the B-58 and the F-111.

Following his retirement from Lockheed in 1997, Johnie served on the Weatherford Municipal Utility Board and then ran the next year for City Council, ultimately serving for nine years, including his role as Mayor Pro Tempore. During his tenure, he enthusiastically advocated for many improvements to the city as it was experiencing major growth and planning for the future. He resigned his seat in 2007 due to moving outside of the Weatherford city limits.

His creativity and engineering expertise enabled him to design the family home on the east side of Weatherford in 1963. In addition, he later completely renovated the interior of the 1920s-era home he and Glenda bought in 1973 in the Mineral Heights addition of Weatherford. They both loved to cook and entertain, and through the years, they hosted many dinner parties and gatherings at their home.

Eager to volunteer in Weatherford and the surrounding community, Johnie served as President, Emergency Service District No. 7, overseeing the design and construction of the new volunteer fire station in the Greenwood Community. In addition, Johnie and Glenda also gave their time for many years to Meals on Wheels, Manna Storehouse, and The Provision Center.


Johnie was preceded in death by his parents and his son, Brad. He is survived by his wife, Glenda; his daughter, Shelly King (Tom); his sister, Joan Young (David) of Glorieta, NM; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Reg and Bonny Reynolds of Hewitt, Texas; and seven nieces and nephews.

Always energetic, gregarious, caring and loving, Johnie was fully dedicated to his family and friends as well as his many endeavors. He will be missed beyond measure.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, Johnie’s service will be held at a later date to be determined.