Thomas "Tommy" Max Johnson, born November 16, 1937, in San Antonio, entered eternal rest on December 27, 2022, at the age of 85 after a long, courageous battle with Alzheimer's Disease and then Leukemia.

Survivors include his wife, Sheila "Signa" Johnson; children, Jack Johnson (Victoria), Kim Ruiz (Roland), D'Anne Wengenroth (Glenn), Laurie Powell (David), Sherry Palmer (Harold), and Tammy Johnson (Eric); sister, Mary Louise Posey, as well as numerous grandchildren and  great grandchildren (including one "on the way"); and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Robert "Bob" Johnson and Mary Emelia Schmidt Johnson; his daughter, Gloria Ann Johnson; and his brother, J.R. "Bobby" Johnson, Jr.

Tommy was a lifelong and respected water well driller- a career which was passed onto him by his father J.R. "Bob" Johnson. Together, the father-son team drilled countless water wells in and around Bexar and Medina counties, along with the greater South-Central Texas area, supporting the growth and development of the San Antonio, Central and South Texas agricultural economies for several generations. Tommy was renowned for drilling the infamous "Catfish Farm Well" in Bexar County, the world's largest and most prolific artesian well at the time, and whose operation and impact on the Edwards Aquifer eventually led to the creation of the Edwards Aquifer Authority.

Tommy was an avid sportsman, enjoying hunting and fishing. He became a self-trained gunsmith as he collected and refurbished guns from various historical periods of time (Civil War, WW II, etc.) as a hobby.

Tommy was also a history buff and enjoyed regaling friends and family with stories of the past- his own as a water well driller, and those he learned from books on the Civil War, World War I & II, nature, and hunting. In later years, he enjoyed travels to faraway places of interest, including numerous visits to various countries in Europe.

Despite his highly regarded reputation in the water well industry, Tommy preferred an ordinary existence. He was most comfortable telling stories from the bed of a pickup truck, around a deer campfire or in the family living room – wherever he had a captive audience, especially if the audience was his grandkids.

New Fountain United Methodist Church will be open for visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, followed by a Funeral Service at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at New Fountain Cemetery.

Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com