INDIANAPOLIS — When Gwendolyn Johnson, whose family and friends call Renee, married Anthony Johnson II on July 20, 2019, she imagined she'd be spending the rest of her life with him.
She recalled her wedding day as perfect.
"It was magical. It was something that I always dreamed and envisioned. I've been planning my wedding since I was a child. We talked about what type of wedding I wanted. He made sure everything I wanted I got including him," Johnson said.
Tragically, Anthony was taken away from his wife on March 13. He was one of four victims killed after a domestic dispute on Indianapolis' east side.
Now, the church where they celebrated so much at their wedding will become the final place Johnson gets to see her husband at his funeral.
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"That's where we started our life together and I felt like that's where I wanted to say my goodbyes to my husband," Johnson said.
Rather than focus on how he died, Johnson wants to remember the good times they had together. She has a lot of pictures. It was something Anthony insisted on even when she didn't want to take them.
"I'm so glad that he made me take pictures because those are where I get my memories from," Johnson said.
She also reflected on one of the first things she ever learned about her husband. It helped her eventually fall in love with him.
"He told me he was big into church and that he was real good working with the youth. I was impressed by that," Johnson said.
Through tears and surrounded by family, Johnson said what she wants everyone to remember most about Anthony is how much he loved life.
"He was a good person. He loved everybody. He never met a stranger. He just loved life and loved people. He just wanted everybody to be happy," Johnson said.
Anthony Johnson's funeral will be held on Monday. His family is raising money for the funeral and other expenses that have come about because of his death. Johnson said recording artists T.I. & Tiny saw news reports about what happened and have donated a significant amount to cover some of the funeral expenses.
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