by Derrick Williams
Thisweek Newspapers

Bang.

The sound of a gunshot is a noise that a six-year old should be fearful of, not accustomed to.

Former Prior Lake resident, Tanner Klein, now 20, knows how hard the streets can be. He experienced gangs, drugs, fights, and shootings while living in Chicago, Ill. with his mother Theresa.

That all changed when he was six, though.

"My grandparents swooped in and got custody,î Klein said. "Without them, I might have died.î

Klein's perspective may seem gloomy, but not off base. His mother died just three years after Tim and Marsha Johnson, Tanner's grandparents, got custody. His mother was the victim of a gang related murder in Chicago. A drug deal gone awry, Klein says.

"I was upset when I heard,î Klein said. "But even at that young age, I knew why it happened, and that I was happy not to be with her.î

To say that Klein's grandparents saved his life is debatable. Tim doesn't like to think of it like that.

"He is my blood,î Tim said. "I may not be his father, but he is still part of me. It was an easy decision considering.î

An easy decision, maybe, but not a decision that Tim and Marsha wanted to make.

"We had six kids,î Marsha said. "We played mom and dad. We were just about done. I never really thought we'd have to do it again.î

It was 1998, Tim and Marsha's youngest son had just graduated college and was moving out of the house and onto Vermont where he had secured a job. With all their other kids out of the house and on their own, and with retirement approaching, the Johnsons were eager to buy their lakefront house and begin living their life. Then they got a call.

"We got a call from one of Theresa's cousins,î Marsha said. "She told us that Theresa was tangled up in some bad things.î

Theresa, the Johnson's only girl, had moved to Chicago right after graduating high school in 1991.

"She was following a boy,î Tim said. "She met a man when she was 17. I think he was 25 or 26. He promised her the world.î

Over the next few years, Tim and Marsha saw Theresa very little, even after they heard she was pregnant.

"She'd call when she had a big problem,î Marsha said. "She only came home a few times, and we never went to her place. She didn't want us to come.î

Shortly after learning Theresa was having trouble, Tim and Marsha went to Chicago for the first time to see her.

When the Johnsons found their daughter, they knew things were bad. "They were in a bad neighborhood,î Tim said. "It was really ugly.î

The Johnsons spent just a few days with their daughter, but learned enough of what was happening.

They left Chicago, hoping that everything would be okay, but upon coming home and getting call after call from the Chicago Police Department, they realized they had to do something about Tanner.

"He was going to grow up a monster,î Marsha said. "He was so sweet. We couldn't let that happen.î

Knowing that there was little they could do to change Theresa's ways, they began the process of getting Tanner.

After weeks of legal proceedings, they got Theresa to sign a contract granting custody to the Johnsons.

"We were parents again,î Tim said.

It was the best decision they ever made if you ask Klein.

"I didn't want to leave my mom,î Klein said. "But at the same time, every time I saw my grandparents, they were really nice and got me stuff. For a kid, getting stuff was really cool.î

Adjusting was tough, but Klein worked through it. Having no formal education to that point, and starting from the back of the pack, Klein quickly caught up in school.

The Johnsons gave him amenities that he couldn't have dreamed of while with his mother.

"They got me a Playstation,î Klein said. "I'd heard of them, but never had one.î

The Johnsons morphed, slowly, into Klein's parents.

"They did everything they were supposed to do if they were really my mom and dad,î Klein said. "They were supportive, they disciplined, they were always there.î

Klein, now a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas, says he owes everything to his grandparents.

"They could have let me stay with my mom,î Klein said. "They could have cared from a distance. They didn't though. I respect the decision they made. I am in college now because of them.î

Tim and Marsha are proud of the man they helped to mold.

"He is a great young man,î Marsha said. "I just wish his mom could be here to see him mature.î

With their nest empty, the Johnsons are finally beginning the hunt for that lakefront home they were dreaming about.

"We are looking forward to growing old together,î Tim said. "We've worked hard over the years. Now we just kinda want to sit on our porch and listen to the birds.î

Derrick Williams is at priorlake.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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