Kenner Ellis Johnson, 81, died Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at his home in Mt. Sterling, after a long illness with Parkinson’s disease.
Born Nov. 28, 1944, in Iowa City, Iowa, he was the son of the late Ellis T. and Myrtle McCoy Johnson. He grew up in Morehead before moving to Ashland, with his family. He was a member of the 1961 Ashland High School Tomcats basketball team that won the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) state championship, defeating Lexington Dunbar 69–50 in the title game. In 1962, Ashland High School became Paul G. Blazer High School, and the Tomcats returned to Memorial Coliseum in Lexington. A key backcourt player, he helped lead the team to the state championship game, where they finished as runners-up, falling to Louisville’s St. Xavier. That year, he was also named to the 16th Regional All-Tournament team. He graduated from Paul G. Blazer High School in 1963, and from 1964-1965, he played on the freshman men’s basketball team at the University of Georgia. A graduate of Morehead State University, he earned degrees in history, journalism and English. He taught English and journalism at Montgomery County High School from 1986-2006 and was faculty sponsor of the award-winning high school newspaper, The Tribal Tribune. He founded the Broadcast Journalism program at MCHS and was also the sponsor of Co-Ed-Y. In addition to teaching, he was a reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader and served as photographer, sports writer and Sports Editor for the Mt. Sterling Advocate. He also penned a popular human interest column called Sidelines. His interests extended well beyond teaching and journalism. He was a visual artist, songwriter, music and film buff and a voracious reader. In 2014, he had a solo exhibit “Paintings from a Man Cave” at the Gateway Regional Art Center. He and his wife traveled extensively throughout Europe and the United States, returning many times to Martha’s Vineyard, a place that held special meaning for them.
Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Janet Hays Johnson; daughters, Lindsay (Troy) Porcelli and Rory (Aaron) Gruler; and grandsons, Henry Kenner Porcelli, Ellis Joseph Porcelli and Jack Emerson Gruler.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his sister, Barbara Kennedy.
The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to caregivers Nettie Auxier and Lisa Spence for the compassionate and devoted care they provided.
Service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Taul Funeral Home with Pastor Paul David Prather officiating. Visitation will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. A memorial stone will be erected at Haysville Cemetery in Lebanon, at a later date.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at https://give.michaeljfox.org or The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) at https://action.aclu.org/give/now.
