Philip "James" Johnson III was born July 27, 1992, to Buckwheat and Sonya Johnson in Windom, Minnesota. He attended Winfair School and Windom Area High School, graduating in 2010. James went on to attend Hennepin Technical College to learn Firefighting and EMT. After meeting his wife, Megan Reitsma, he moved to South Dakota in 2012, and worked at and provided security for the Sioux Falls Airport. James went back to school to attend South Dakota State University in 2013. While in college, he went to work at Rainbow Play Systems and SDSU Parking Services in Brookings, South Dakota. When Rainbow Play Systems closed, he went on to work at Larson Manufacturing. James graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Business Economics with a minor in Entrepreneurship in 2018. After graduation, James was offered a full-time position at Larson Manufacturing as the second shift Operations Supervisor, and eventually became an Inventory Specialist. James and Megan were united in marriage on May 26, 2018, in Brookings, South Dakota. With his EMT training he joined the Lennox, South Dakota Ambulance Service as an EMT. He would work weekends and was their secretary. He enjoyed the work and the challenge of the job. Living in Volga, South Dakota, he joined the Volga Fire Department where he was a truck co-captain and training officer. He loved the great outdoors, his family and friends, woodworking, and helping others. James loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor. He enjoyed Dad jokes more than most do. He also enjoyed the simple things, like fishing, camping, and enjoying nature. Growing up, he always wanted to be like his dad. He enjoyed photography, videography, and editing videos. As a pyrotechnician, he enjoyed doing commercial firework shows. James enjoyed teasing his three sisters and he was often the brunt of their jokes at times. He loved his sisters and his wife. He fought daily against his mental illness which eventually overcame him on December 29, 2021. He was a beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. He will be greatly missed by all. He is survived by his wife, Megan Johnson of Chamberlain, SD; his parents-in-law, Chris Reitsma Lau and Ben Lau of Kimball, SD; parents, Buckwheat and Sonya Johnson of Windom; sisters, Vicki (Chris) Severn of Bethlehem, PA; Christa (Nate) Cole of Burnsville, MN; and sis Karen Johnson of Tokyo, Japan. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is preceded in death by grandparents, Phil and Verona Johnson; grandparents, Arden and Connie Johnson; father-in-law, Kurt Reitsma; aunt, Sandi Lanie; and cousin, Megan Sivahop.