By Paul Anthony Arco
Special to the Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — When Mike Johnson received the good news in 2014 from his doctor that his first cancer – multiple myeloma – was in remission, he was driving to a PGA golf show in Orlando, Florida, with his good friend Lloyd McWilliams.
The 18-hour drive was going smoothly as the golfing buddies took turns behind the wheel, talking about everything under the sun without so much as flipping on the radio to interrupt the conversation.
“I can tell you exactly where we were,” Johnson said. “We were going to breakfast at a McDonald’s in Georgia when my doctor called to say that my cancer was in remission. Lloyd was the first one to hear the good news.”
When the friends finally stopped, they shared a hug and a few tears before heading into the restaurant for pancakes and piping-hot coffee.
‘In the same boat’
Fast forward to today. Cancer has once again reared its ugly head. Not just for Johnson, but for McWilliams as well.
The diagnosis is grim: Both men have Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Two friends who have shared so much over the years – golf, family gatherings, vacations – are now walking a harrowing path together.
Sad? For sure. Scared? No doubt. But they are emboldened by the fact they have each other to lean on during their darkest days.
“We’re in the same boat,” Johnson said.
In mid-August, the two came together to talk about their respective cancer journeys at Ingersoll Golf Course, the venerable, century-old Rockford Park District facility located on Rockford’s west side.
It’s the perfect gathering place for these two Rockford golf icons. It’s where McWilliams earned his course record 63 – a record that stood for 50 years – to win his first Men’s City title in 1969, and near the practice range is a golf bench dedicated in Johnson’s honor.
It’s a typical sultry Saturday morning in August. McWilliams and Johnson are here to watch local junior golfers tee it up for one of the last golf tournaments of the summer. Many of these young golfers have trained under the watchful eye of McWilliams, a PGA certified instructor who has been instrumental in park district golf programs for years.
“They hired me to get PGA training and to help establish a program for kids 8 and under at the time and to continue the programs they already had for children 8 and over,” he said. “We also started a program called the Tiger Cub because the money we received came from the Tiger Woods Foundation visit to Rockford.”
‘I don’t want them to think I gave up’
McWilliams keeps his mind off his health issues by doing what he loves best: teaching young golfers.
“I’m putting all my effort into reading every day, to learn as much as I can to help my pupils when I’m not out here teaching,” McWilliams said while sitting at a picnic table watching as a group of girls warm up on the range. “This is good for me.”
For the next two hours the 76-year-old McWilliams experiences a range of emotions, sharing stories and memories, many that include Johnson.
“I don’t want the kids to see me cry,” he said, fighting back tears, “because I don’t want them to think I gave up.”
Johnson, a two-time cancer survivor, is also in the fight of his life. He learned this summer that he also had advanced pancreatic cancer, after surviving the multiple myeloma and later skin cancer, which he calls “a hazard” of being a golfer.
Dating back to March, Johnson, who turns 78 on Oct. 9, underwent a battery of tests that kept him traveling from Florida to Madison, Wisconsin, to Rockford.
“The doctors thought I had a rare cancer, and that they could go in there and get it out,” he said. “But when they opened me up, they found there was a lot more cancer, especially in the pancreas. So, they sewed me back up. I consulted with four doctors, and they decided there was nothing more we can do, just like with Lloyd.”
McWilliams learned of his cancer last December, not long after his wife of 54 years, Barb, died of heart disease.
Still mourning her death, McWilliams started chemotherapy treatments every two weeks. The side effects were rough, with nausea and a metallic taste being the biggest issues. In June, McWilliams had another scan which revealed the chemo wasn’t slowing the cancer down. Doctors gave him two choices: a more aggressive type of chemo or stop treatment entirely. McWilliams had his mind made up.
“After Barb died and then I learned about my diagnosis, I decided I’m more than ready to join her,” he said. “I’ve had a good life.”
Rockford golf icons
The names McWilliams and Johnson are synonymous with Rockford golf. Johnson is a Rockford Area Golf Hall of Famer who has won four Men’s City titles, along with several other tournaments, as well as an impressive resume as a high school golf coach and youth instructor.
“You always knew you were going to be in a battle with Mike on the course,” McWilliams said. “He always had self-confidence, which I respected. He was never going to give up.”
“I first met Mike at Belmar Country Club,” said Dave Claeyssens, former manager of golf services for the Rockford Park District and another hall of famer. “He was a good player who was serious about his game and worked hard at it. I shot the course record at Belmar (68) and a week later Mike shot a 67.”
McWilliams, who is an inaugural member of the Rockford Area Golf Hall of Fame, also has five Men’s City titles among his many awards. But it’s his come-from-behind victory on the last day of the Men’s City in 1969 that still has people talking today. McWilliams, who was 23 at the time, was nine strokes behind the leader entering the final round, when he shot the round of his life. He hit 16 greens in regulation, took only 27 putts and finished with nine birdies on the day to win by four strokes. In the 1990s, McWilliams tried to play on the PGA Senior Tour until a detached retina shattered his dream.
“Lloyd is one of the best players in the area I’ve ever seen; he’s a natural,” Claeyssens said. “He had the quickest hands I’ve seen getting through the ball. He was driving the ball 310 yards before the arrival of metal woods. He was that good.”
Adversaries, then friends
Johnson, who grew up in Menominee, Michigan, moved to the Rockford area when he became a teacher and golf coach at Belvidere High School in 1973. He spent 11 years at the high school before moving on to Perry Elementary School in Belvidere where he was a teacher and principal. He then spent the next 30 years teaching and coaching boys golf at Christian Life High School, where he led three of his teams and a number of individual golfers to state.
McWilliams grew up in Rockford and took to golf at an early age. He won his first tournament at 13, and his first job was as a caddie at Forest Hills Country Club. He met Barb on a blind date at 20 and the couple married a year later. He worked at Sundstrand for 37 years.
McWilliams and Johnson met as competitors on the golf course and later became friends.
“I wanted to beat everybody,” McWilliams said.
“Same with me,” Johnson said. “It didn’t matter if it was Lloyd or anyone else. I wanted to win.”
Eventually, friendship trumped competition when McWilliams invited Johnson over for a cookout after a Men’s City tournament. Their families soon joined the festivities.
Years later, McWilliams and Barb and their two children joined Johnson, his wife, Darlene, and their three daughters, on summer vacations in northern Wisconsin for camping, swimming and, of course, plenty of golf.
For years, McWilliams and Johnson teamed up to play in a two-man tournament in Galena.
“We won it for four straight years,” said Johnson, “and then the club pro decided to change the format in the middle of the tournament. But we still won.”
“I hit it long and Mike hit it straight,” McWilliams said.
“We were the perfect combo,” added Johnson. “I was in places I had never been before because of Lloyd. I was hitting a seven iron on a par 5. That was crazy, but that was Lloyd’s drive that put us into position.”
“I’ve always respected the relationship that we’ve had even though we were adversaries,” McWilliams said. “Even though we were battlers, we still loved each other.”
‘A legacy in Rockford golf’
After enjoying tremendous success on the course, McWilliams was approached by the park district to give some juice to its fledgling junior programs.
“Lloyd is so easy going, even keel, very encouraging and obviously knows the game of golf,” said Nancy Kauzlarich, former golf manager for the park district and another inaugural hall of fame member. “The things he and Mike have come up with to teach the kids is unparalleled.”
The contributions McWilliams and Johnson have made are too many to mention – from volunteering at the Rockford Pro-Am to hosting golf radio shows to working the Tiger Woods Foundation event at Ingersoll years ago – they’ve done it all.
Last March, the park district had an emotional celebration honoring McWilliams and his late wife. Dozens of friends, golfers, former students and park district employees turned out to honor the man who’s given so much to local golf.
The park district foundation has renamed its golf services youth fund the Barb & Lloyd McWilliams Youth Golf Fund. It provides support to park district youth golf programs, including equipment and fee assistance so that all kids can enjoy the game of golf. The park district has even renamed its indoor winter golf academy after the man Johnson affectionately calls “Mr. Golf.”
These days, Johnson spends time at McWilliams’ home, reminiscing and watching golf videos like Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, which features pairings like the 1996 match between Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.
Recently, the pair played golf at Ingersoll as part of a celebration honoring the course’s 100th anniversary. Johnson managed just a few holes while McWilliams tried to play all 18, despite suffering from his cancer pain.
“As I get older, I love the golf course even more,” Johnson said. “I love looking at the trees, the grass, and the flowers. It gives me a sense of calm.”
Johnson and McWilliams are at peace with what lies ahead. To use a golf analogy, they are walking up the 18th fairway in life. Treatments are over and both are under hospice care.
“My first goal is to make it to attend the state tournament in October because I hope some of my students get there,” McWilliams said. “My next goal is to make it to Christmas.”
Johnson isn’t circling any dates on his calendar.
“I am unusual,” he said. “I have a great family, my wife of 54 years and my daughters, and a wonderful faith. I know where I’m going. Lloyd and I are working on this together because we’re going to face it soon.”
Together. Just like they’ve always done things throughout their long and remarkable friendship.
“Lloyd and Mike have been true friends to the golfing community,” Kauzlarich said. “They’ve left a legacy in Rockford golf that will last forever.”
This article is by freelance journalist Paul Anthony Arco. You can email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.