Good Deeds: Longtime hospice volunteer considers church his family

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story did not name Moe Johnson's church.

At 83, Moe Johnson isn’t afraid of taking risks.

At last summer’s River Festival, Johnson and a friend took the ride of their lives across the Arkansas River on a zipline.

“It was kind of a thrill,” he said. “We were probably among the older people on the zipline.”

Johnson isn’t just an adrenaline junkie, though. He also volunteers several days out of the week.

He may not call himself a “hospice expert,” yet he has 20 years of volunteer service with Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice.

“I’m not the expert they might think I am,” he said, “but I’m there.”

Johnson also volunteers with Botanica in the children’s garden during the summer, handing out snacks, or during the winter Illuminations, selling warm beverages.

But it’s his church that Johnson considers to be family. At College Hill United Methodist Church, he said he spends a couple of hours each week running errands or cleaning up papers.

Since his wife’s death two years ago, Johnson said he was in need of projects.

“One, it’s an opportunity to help people,” he said, “and two, it’s important for me to have projects.

“And volunteer work is very important.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2014 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Good Deeds: Longtime hospice volunteer considers church his family."