‘He will not just be another statistic’: Family remembers Temple teen killed in motorcycle crash

TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) - On Nov. 24 Gary Johnson got the call that his 19-year-old son, Chris Johnson, had died after his motorcycle collided with a car. Johnson said his son had just left their Thanksgiving celebration.

“He always said as kids do, ‘I’ll be fine.’ Every time,” the father told KWTX News 10.

Mr. Johnson remembers adopting Chris back in 2017. “In those five short years, what I saw is a kid who was so bright,” Gary said. In school Chris battled dyslexia, and he came from an abusive family before being adopted.

KWTX News 10 previously covered Chris and his family delivering handwritten cards to thank local law enforcement and the lawn care business he ran as a teen back in 2019. That business is how Cindy Scoby first met Chris.

“I mean just his eyes and smile would melt your heart,” Scoby, the family friend, said.

Last year, when Chris turned 18 he used his own money to purchase a motorcycle. “I knew that it could hurt him, but I remember telling him to be careful and slow down,” Gary said.

Now this heartbroken father wants to make sure his son’s memory stays alive.

“I am determined that he will not just be another statistic,” the father said.

Scoby has set up a GoFundMe to support Gary and his family during this difficult time. Gary invites community members to attend the funeral service called “Chris’s Main Event” on Saturday at 2 p.m. The family has not yet announced a location for the event.