Community mourning recent loss of Johnson County high school coach Terrale Johnson

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Kansas State football fans and families at two Johnson County, Kansas high schools are morning the loss of a good friend.

Terrale Johnson, 29, who’d been an All-Big 12 performer at K-State, died unexpectedly on Saturday . His loved ones haven’t disclosed his cause of death. Johnson was a native of Manhattan, Kansas.

A wave of sadness can be felt at Shawnee Mission South High School. Friends of Johnson say his family became concerned when the Manhattan High School graduate was supposed to meet a family member for lunch, but he didn’t show up. He worked at Shawnee Mission South as an assistant football coach and a paraprofessional, who spent time helping kids in special needs classes.

“This is a situation that’s impacting a lot of our young people,” Dr. Todd Dain, the high school’s longtime principal, said on Monday.

Dain said counselors are being made available for students and staff who are feeling the impact of Johnson’s passing. Dain said Johnson’s perpetually positive outlook will be hard to replace.

“Coach T was about building people up and building relationships. He loved kids. He loved all kids. He celebrated our culture and was an ambassador of enthusiasm for our South culture,” Dain said.

Before working at Shawnee Mission South, Johnson coached offensive linemen at Mill Valley High School, helping add to the school’s run of five consecutive Kansas Class 5A State Championships.

‘Terrell lived 29 years and he lived 29 years very well,” Jaguars Coach Joel Applebee said.

Johnson also worked as a paraprofessional at Mill Valley. Applebee described him as being a classroom hero, and someone young people appreciated.

“When you realize somebody’s really good and really enjoys what they’re doing, you see that. Throw away the football side of things, he was the same way in the education side of things in school,” Applebee said.

Several local schools have posted their condolences to Johnson’s family online. Dain says funeral services are planned for Tuesday in Manhattan.

This GoFundMe campaign was started to raise money for Johnson’s funeral expenses .

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