Neil Anthony Johnson was just like any other 11-year-old boy. He was sensitive and thoughtful. Neil and his little brother Nick did everything together. They weren’t just brothers; they were best friends. He loved planes so much that he asked his mom if he could get his pilot’s license before his driver’s license.
When Neil was 10, Neil and Nick’s grandma Carrie Johnson would take the boys hiking. One time, the boys were on spring break, and they hiked up a hill with a cross at the top. When they reached the top, they looked out across the valley and marveled at the cars and people below. Neil turned to Carrie and said, “Grammy, I’m blessed. I’m so blessed.” Then, he asked if they could pray together. He covered so much in that prayer, everything from faraway missionaries to his aunt and his dad at work. The last thing he prayed was “Lord, help us get safe off this mountain.”
One time at the Johnson family Thanksgiving dinner, everyone went around the table and said what they were thankful for. When it was Neil’s turn, he looked around at everyone and once again said, “You know, I have so many things to be thankful for; I’m just gonna say I’m blessed.”
Four years ago, Neil was killed in an ATV accident. Just before he passed away, Neil met Jesus.
Neil was in his final moments on a stretcher when he met the Lord. He saw Jesus coming, and he said, “Oh Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I give you my whole heart.” He turned to the EMT who was trying to save his life, and his last words were “Do you know Jesus?”
He was a soft-spoken boy and wouldn’t usually yell out into a crowd, but all the firefighters, life flight crew members and healthcare professionals around him heard him preach the gospel loud and clear. Neil knew where he was going. He grew up in a Christian home and had known about Jesus from a very young age, but in that moment, he experienced the full grace of the Savior.
Neil’s family went through a heartbreak that seemed unbearable. Yes, Neil is in Heaven, but what do you do with sadness so deep it seeps into everything?
High Flight with Jesus
Through the pain, Carrie found some comfort in writing Neil’s testimony. She published “High Flight with Jesus: The Story of Neil Anthony: Our Journey through Love, Grief and Hope” in December of 2025. The book talks about the faith of the Johnson family in Neil’s childhood, how that faith was shaken when he passed, and how God was and is still close to the brokenhearted family in their sorrow.
Isaiah 45:3 NIV says, “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord.” Carrie’s faith and passion for sharing Neil’s testimony through this book have led many to hope in their own journeys of grief. Carrie said that she meets people in her bakery who are walking through loss who have read the book, and they are able to offer each other comfort. These moments of connection have become her treasures in the darkness. She said, “There is nothing that helps your pain and sorrow more than the Word of God, and people who have gone through it who know Jesus.”
Hope for Kids like Neil
Carrie, Neil and Nick used to donate gently used clothing and Bibles together to the ABCS office in Yuma. Since Neil’s death, Carrie and Nick have continued to donate Bibles in his name. They donate The Action Bible, which is an illustrated version of the Bible meant for kids. Neil loved The Action Bible; he read through it a few times in his short life. Carrie puts an inscription in every Bible she donates, saying it is in Neil’s memory. She also includes his testimony in the Bibles so each recipient will know that Jesus loves them.
Please join us in praying for Carrie, her husband Carl, Neil’s parents, Tayllor and Keela, his brother Nick and anyone experiencing loss. Their stories are not over, but we praise God that today, Neil is celebrating with Jesus.