Johnny Alan Klaus, 78, of Cypress, TX, passed from this life on July 2, 2026. He was born on January 19, 1948 to Henry and Elfriede Klaus in Houston, TX

Johnny Alan Klaus was born on January 19, 1948 to Henry and Elfriede Klaus. He had one older sister, Nevilee, and they grew up in the Heights area of Houston. He attended Love Elementary, Hamilton Junior High and graduated from Reagan High School in January of 1967. In high school, he met Virginia (Ginger) Harding and the two were married on March 2, 1968. After high school, Johnny took college courses and began working for Southwestern Bell.

All of this was during the height of the Vietnam War where he was a prime candidate for the draft lottery. After much discussion with family, he opted to enlist in the Air Force. As it turned out, he would have been drafted in the first round. Being that he started his career in communications, the Air Force trained him as a Communications Technician where he was sent to classes in Biloxi, Mississippi and Oklahoma City, OK.

Johnny and Ginger welcomed their first child, Brian Douglas Klaus, on September 10, 1971 in Oklahoma City. After completing his communications classes, it was time for his assignment. In the middle of the Vietnam War, Dad was offered a communications role with the Atomic Energy Commission. This required an assignment to Alaska on the Aleutian Islands where the government was performing an underground nuclear bomb test known as Cannikin. Once his job was done in Alaska, it was time for the next assignment. He turned down the first option the Air Force provided, which was to the Panama Canal. As luck would have it, he was then assigned to the island of Guam as a communications technician for bombing missions.

Living on island time was an adventure. They were housed in a small duplex apartment with no phone and questionable electricity. For your TV enjoyment, you had one channel to choose which aired only between 10:00 am until 9:00 pm. The beaches proved very nice along with the forests to explore.

While serving in Guam, Johnny attended to his communications duties while Ginger attended to their infant son. Then Bob Hope said he was coming to town with his USO tour. Unfortunately, this just happened to be while Johnny was on watch. Well, who could let this opportunity pass by? So, Johnny and a fellow airman took the liberty of stepping away for "just a bit", as he put it, to catch a glimpse of the show and "promptly" returned to his station.

After his service was complete, Johnny and family settled back down in the Houston area returning to his role at Southwestern Bell. Johnny and Ginger purchased a house and welcomed their second child, David Edward Klaus on June 24, 1975. Dad continued working for Southwestern Bell until he retired at the age of 50.

Unfortunately, tragedy strikes many a family. His first son, Brian, lost his life in a car accident in August of 2003. Dad was the glue that held the family together.

David and Elizabeth Klaus were married in June of 2008. In 2012, Johnny and Ginger welcomed their first grandchild, Libby Ann Klaus. In 2014, the second grandchild, Ellie Marie Klaus was born. He very much loved his granddaughters and was a very proud granddad.

Dad suffered a debilitating stroke in June of 2022 which at first left his right side paralyzed and lost much of his speech. While he made a remarkable recovery and was able to walk again, his speech suffered permanent damage. After the stroke, he spent many of his days enjoying movies, especially westerns and science fiction.

A second major stroke occurred in January of 2026. He lost even more of his ability to speak and lost the ability to walk. He spent much of his time reading books and magazines until he passed away on July 2, 2026 at the age of 78.

Prior to his stroke, Dad enjoyed hunting, fishing, antiques, woodworking, coin collecting, guns, Texans games, and working at the land in La Grange. He had a love for his dogs and spending time with family.

Dad met many friends along the way and they can all tell you how much he enjoyed talking on the phone. Oftentimes with Dad, you would find yourself two hours deep in conversation. When you were done, you really had no idea what you two were talking about.

Dad was very proud of his service in the Air Force and enjoyed telling the stories of Alaska and Guam. You would hear of his many adventures, and misadventures, during his time in the service.

A stubborn, tempered, hard-headed, German man. Certainly some of the characteristics that we all know can be used to describe Johnny. Not such great characteristics when you are seven years holding the flashlight while he was working on the car. But, Dad had a gentle side to him as well that showed up when you needed it.

I believe we can all attest that being married for 58 years is quite an accomplishment. Now, 58 years of being married to Johnny certainly calls for a round of applause for Mom. I think she also earned a golden ticket to the gates of Heaven.

In closing, Dad did have a strong love for his family, he was there when you needed him, and he was always sure to tell you he loved you.

Those left to cherish his memories are:

Wife: Virginia "Ginger" Klaus

Son: David Klaus

Daughter in Law: Elizabeth Klaus

Grandchildren: Libby Klaus and Ellie Klaus

Along with numerous cousins and friends

He was preceded in death by:

Parents: Henry and Elfriede Klaus

Sister: Nevilee (Klaus) Hawkins

Son: Brian Klaus

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Make A Wish Foundation in honor of Johnny Alan Klaus.