Update on the Adam Johnson family within the Tribe of Parnell, 2025

Adam and Emily

Leo – 12

Otis – 9

Oscar – 8

After nearly 15 years, Adam and Emily’s marriage unfortunately ended in divorce in 2024. It was difficult for them, as well as for our extended family, but we are all making the necessary adjustments in order to make on-going relationships as positive as possible. Remaining in their neighborhood and living in separate homes only a block apart has made it possible for the boys to spend time with both of their parents as well as maintaining their regular school activities.

I’m very grateful that Adam and Emily have worked out a system for co-parenting that puts the well-being of the boys as their top priority. They have done everything possible to share responsibilities for their school activities and participation in a variety of sports activities.

After several years of working with a local organization called Visit St. Paul, Adam is now the Senior Sales Director at Zartico, a national organization that helps Chamber of Commerce organizations learn more about their potential visitors and what they can do encourage them to visit their city. The methods they use are, quite honestly, beyond my level of understanding. Through the use of computer technology and appropriate logarithms they provide recommendations for attracting visitors to specific locations.

Adam’s people skills make him a natural for this kind of work. While he was with Visit St. Paul he was the person responsible for the annual St. Paul St. Patrick’s Day celebration where entire city streets were shut down in order to accommodate all of the visitors. The contacts he developed through that experience with politicians, law enforcement, restauranters, city leaders, and others resulted in him  having the most extensive contact list I have ever seen.

Adam also initiated something with me over four years ago that I have really appreciated. It is noted on our calendars as “dAd lunch” and it is scheduled on the fourth Friday of every  month. It involves one of us choosing where we will go for lunch and then the other one picks up the tab. The following month those roles are reversed. If either of us has a schedule conflict on one of those monthly Fridays, we reschedule for the following week. This scheduled monthly time has guaranteed us some time when our discussions can go beyond the current sports events and other less important topics.

Adam and Emily’s boys provide an unlimited source of activity and action. All three of them have seemingly been born with an interest in any sports activity.

Leo is in sixth grade and has participated in a variety of sports programs since he was six years old. Football and basketball are his favorite sports where his unusual speed has contributed to his success. In football he throws, catches, intercepts, and scores with unique skill. At a football game this past weekend I heard the opposing coaches and players referring to him by name as they tried to figure out a way of slowing him down.

Otis is in the third grade and is similarly involved in sports activities. Nearly the size of his older brother, he also uses speed to his advantage to bring success on the field and court. He has improved each year that he has played and is currently considered to be among the best players on his team.

Oscar is in the second grade and has come out of the same sports mold. There are some disadvantages being the third and the youngest son, but I think there are advantages that outweigh them. Some have said that Oskey has potential for being the best athlete of all three of them. That is due largely to the fact that he has been in competition with his brothers all his life and has learned some things at an early age that would have otherwise taken him years to develop. It has been good to watch the development of each of my grandsons and see how they have improved over the years.

Their athletic skills and abilities are due largely to the amount of time Adam spends with them, individually and collectively, participating in these activities. He has coached their basketball and football teams and has been especially successful with football. Techniques he uses with all of the boys on the team teach them both the basics of the game as well as the value of participation on a sports team.

Adam has also devoted a lot of time and energy to bringing his boys to athletic events at a variety of venues. Macalester, Bethel, the U of M, and Target Center are just some of the places they have gone together. Last week he and the boys drove to Milwaukee to watch the Bucks/Timberwolves game being played there. Tickets provided by business contacts and hotel accommodations covered by frequent flyer points have made such trips possible.

I look forward to following each of the boys as they continue to participate in sporting events as well as the others activities at their school.