Obituary of Thomas D. Flock-Johnson

Thomas “Tom” D. Flock-Johnson, age 60, of Minneapolis, Minnesota passed away August 1, 2023, at Brookdale in Edina, MN. He had spent the past two years battling a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and was proud to have contributed to research surrounding the disease as part of his treatment.

Tom was born on April 25, 1963, in Langdon, North Dakota to Richard “Dick” and Roberta “Bobbie” (Stoffel) Johnson. As the middle child of five brothers, he was a survivor and a fighter long before his cancer diagnosis. He was a proud graduate of St. Alphonsus grade school and Langdon High School. In 1985, Tom received his bachelor’s in Chemistry from St. John’s University where he met many lifelong friends, including his now-wife Trish who he married on January 2nd, 1993. He went on to receive his master’s in Chemistry from Arizona State University. It was either this degree or his voracious reading of science fiction that prepared him for the outside-the-box thinking necessary for his nearly thirty-year career as an analytical chemist at H.B. Fuller. Those who knew him, however, knew that his quiet intelligence, problem-solving skills, and trademark wit were just innate parts of who he was.

Tom was involved in a variety of communities. Even through the early stages of his treatment, he was a lifelong baseball fan and player. He played Peewees, Babe Ruth, Legion, and amateur ball in his younger years, and would later become a beloved teammate of the St. Anthony Norsemen and Codgers as “TFJ” or “FloJo.” Tom was also a passionate collector, hobbyist, and member of the local GIJoe collector’s club. He was a lector and server at Incarnation/Sagrado Corazón de Jesus where he was a long-time parishioner. Tom loved his Minneapolis home, the Lyndale neighborhood, and his neighbors.

Tom cast a large, loving net around his family. He is survived by his wife, Trish; sons, Casey and Henry; mother, Bobbie; brothers, Scott (Cheryl), Lee (Jill), Christopher (Melissa), and Lynn; aunt, Rita; cousin, Anne (Chad); The Wilds; Sinners; Schulzes; in-laws, Carolyn, Mary, Mike, Peter, Sharon, Deedee, Jane, Paul, Georganne, Mark, Joe, Jen, Denise, and Thom; nieces, nephews, and their partners and children, Haley, Brynn, Lily, Andy, Noah, Davis, Carolyn, Alexis, Amanda, Cole, Jessica, Kendall, Lauren, Craig, Alex, Marissa, Tayler, Eric, Sam, Makalya, Maddy, Nick, Matthew, Quinton, Becky, Dominic, Maria, Hazel, Aiden, Khiera, Addie, Jake, Willis, Olivia, Cole, Rylee, Nora, Vinny; and the extended Flock and Hedrick families. He was preceded in death by his grandparents; father, Dick; aunts, Margaret and Anne; uncle, John; and father-in-law, Pete.

A funeral Mass, open to all, will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, August 25th at Incarnation Catholic Church in Minneapolis (3801 Pleasant Ave. S). with visitation starting at 10:00 am. All are welcome to the church basement for a light lunch following the funeral.  Visitation, also open to all, will be from 4:00-8:00 pm on Thursday, August 24th at the Cremation Society of Minnesota in Edina (7110 France Ave. S.) with the opportunity to share memories and stories starting at 6:00 pm.

The family requests that any memorials in Tom’s name be directed to one of the following: Incarnation/Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, College of St. Benedict/Saint John’s University, Loaves and Fishes, M Health Fairview Cancer Research, or Transforming Families.