At age 17, Robert Johnson was incarcerated. He had made mistakes in his youth, and at 25, was released to finally begin his adult life – and do things right this time.
With support from his friends and family, Robert, better known as Robby, started on a health and fitness journey which would become his passion, and slowly put the pieces together to start the rest of his life.
“He decided that he wanted to live a nice life,” Liz Muhammad, Robby’s childhood friend, said. “You saw the transitioning happening. He had just gotten his first apartment, just him and no roommates.”
Just as Robby was creating a better future for himself, his life was taken. On Oct. 14, 2017, he was killed in the Wissinoming section. Robby was 28 years old.
“It was so bizarre because he always talked about death as a thing he wasn’t afraid of.”
His funeral showed how much people loved him. Liz remembers the funeral procession stretching as far as 13 blocks, showing just how many lives he touched.
“Robby, you knew exactly who he was. There were no holds barred,” Liz said. “His honesty was something that stood out to everyone. You knew what you were getting with him, it wasn’t a question with who he was.”
In the years since his incarceration, Robby had become a vegetarian and focused on his fitness and well-being.
“He was really big on being fit and a healthy lifestyle. No drinking, no smoking, just really taking care of himself.”
While Robert completed some schooling to become an electrician, his real passion was as a personal trainer. At the time of his passing, he was working as a trainer at LA Fitness. He hoped to one day have his own personal training business.
“He really wanted to start a business,” Liz said. “I know that he wanted to somehow invest that money into a business that would provide some sort of generational wealth. He definitely wanted to look out for his sister, provide a legacy.”
His little sister, 17-year-old Morgan, had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Robby researched every way he could help her stay healthy, and worked to introduce dietary changes for both his sister and mother. He wanted to see Morgan thrive in life, and looked forward to seeing her enter college at Temple University.
“He was really looking forward to watching Morgan develop,” Liz said. “Before he was killed, they had a ring ceremony where she gets the class ring and he put the ring on her. This was the beginning of Morgan’s journey. He was very proud of that.”
Liz had been friends with Robert for more than 10 years, and no matter what, she knew she could always count on him.
“He was the protector, the overseer of everyone,” Liz said. “With the crazy world we live in, you always new that Robby, if he wasn’t physically there, he wasn’t too far.”
Robby loved children, and was “probably the godfather of everybody’s child.” Liz’s daughter would even affectionately call him “Prince Robby.”
“The relationships that he had with children were unbelievable… Just the energy that he would give them,” Liz said. “My daughter picks up his picture and was dancing around with it, because she remembers those good times she had with him.”
After being incarcerated, Robby hoped to make the most of his life. He wanted to one day travel and see the world, but until he could do that, he loved to live vicariously through his friends.
“He was really interested in the world and what it had to offer,” Liz said. “I traveled to Italy a year ago and he wanted to be on Facetime the whole time because he didn’t know when he’d ever get to see these things.”
Date: 2017-10-14
Location: 4000 Benner St, Philadelphia, PA