Former 88th District Court Judge Ted Johnson died on July 7, 2025. He was born Oct. 26, 1943, and raised in Pontiac, Michigan. Before settling in Alpena, he embarked on a journey as one of the first United States Peace Corps volunteers, serving as a teacher in Malawi from 1965 to 1968. This formative experience instilled in him a lifelong commitment to public service, according to his obituary.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and his Juris Doctor from the Detroit College of Law, Johnson moved to Alpena in 1971. He began his legal career in private practice before being elected as the Alpena County Prosecuting Attorney in 1976, his obituary states.

In 1983, Johnson became the 88th District Court Judge, a position he held with unwavering integrity and wisdom until his retirement in 2015. As the Honorable Theodore O. Johnson, he was known for his fair and compassionate approach. A forward-thinking jurist, he was instrumental in establishing Alpena County’s Adult Drug Court; a program reflecting his belief in rehabilitation which continues to have a positive impact on the lives of countless people in the community, his obituary stated. Retirement was never really an option for Johnson; he continued to work in private practice at the law firm of Isackson, Wallace & Pfeifer for the last 10 years.

Attorney Dennis Grenkowicz worked as the Alpena County prosecuting attorney for 20 years from 1989 to 2008 while Johnson served as judge.

Courtesy Photo Judge Ted Johnson is pictured the year after he was first appointed judge in 1983. This picture was provided by the George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections at the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library.

Everyone was treated fairly under Judge Johnson, Grenkowicz said.

“He treated everyone with respect,” he said. “In 20 years I never saw him lose his temper.”

Johnson worked very hard to issue a fair sentence to all.

“Judge Johnson will be missed,” Grenkowicz said. “He left the world a better place than he found it.”

Attorney David Funk started working for Johnson in 1976.

“I liked him,” Funk said. “He was a very fair boss.”

Johnson was not only a good judge, but a good man, Funk said.

“That’s the test of things, isn’t it?” he said.

“He wasn’t greedy, he didn’t aspire to a higher office,” Funk continued. “He wasn’t interested in a legacy. He simply wanted justice and he wanted to be a good man.”

“It’s not what you do or what office you aspire to,” Funk said. “When we stand before our maker, we just have to be good, selfless, solid people.”

And that’s the kind of man that Johnson was in Funk’s eyes.

Retired Judge Thomas LaCross became the 88th District Court Judge after Johnson retired from the bench in 2015. LaCross was sworn in as an attorney in 1984, the year after Judge Johnson started serving from the bench.

When LaCross took over the judgeship, he knew he had “big shoes to fill.”

“In the district court room there’s a portrait of Judge Johnson,” LaCross said. “I had the notion he was watching over me.”

“He was a very good friend and a very good judge,” he said.

As part of the drug court panel, Judge Johnson was very gracious and respectful.

“Through and through, Judge Johnson was a public servant,” LaCross said. “By his life he was an example to all. I’ll miss him a lot.”

Twenty-sixth Circuit Court Judge Ed Black practiced as an attorney in front of Judge Johnson starting in 2004.

“When I first started as an attorney, he was someone I looked up to,” Black said. “I think he’s a model of what a judge and, more importantly, a person, should be.”

Black said that he admired Johnson’s fairness to all parties. He never gave any side favorable treatment.

“When he got involved in drug court, I think you saw a side of him with incredible compassion and care,” Black said. “He helped people work through addiction and get back to life without that addiction.”

Former Alpena County Probate Court Judge Doug Pugh served as probate judge while Johnson was 88th District judge. They both served as attorneys in Alpena in the 1970s. Pugh said that he and Johnson often hunted together.

As a judge, Johnson was fair, Pugh said.

“He ran a good tight courtroom, but he was fair,” he said. “I say that honestly. He was well regarded by the attorneys in town. Everybody liked him.”

Pugh also described Judge Johnson as kindhearted, unassuming, and gentlemanly.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.