Amy Schulz Johnson
Amy Schulz Johnson is a daughter of Charles Schulz, the creator of the iconic Peanuts comic strip.
She learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in high school through an Latter-day Saint boyfriend and joined the Church at age 22 because “the lifestyle reminded [her] of how [she] grew up.” She recalls that the Word of Wisdom caught her attention because the principles were already observed in her home. Although she did not grow up with a specific religion, she recalls that her father read the scriptures every day and that he taught a Sunday School class in the local Methodist church, even though he was not a Methodist. His animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, debuted in December 1965 and was controversial at that time because Schulz bravely quoted scripture and spoke of the birth of Christ. It received high ratings, acclaim from critics, was honored with an Emmy and Peabody Award, and has aired on television every year since 1965.
Johnson said that her father supported her in her decision to join the Church and then serve as a full-time missionary to England, even though he thought her church was either true or a hoax, and he believed it was the latter. He even spoke at her missionary farewell and encouraged her through weekly letters.
“It’s funny because if I read you parts of them, you would think that my dad was a stake president in our church or something,” Johnson said. “He would have the most beautiful things to say about Christ and the scriptures.”[1]
She remembers that he told her, “I’m so proud of you. I tell everyone about you and how you’re working hard for the Lord.”
Johnson lived on 28 acres in Sebastopol, California, while growing up. She and her husband are the parents of nine children and live in Alpine, Utah. Her grandson, Micah Revelli, voices “Little Kid” in The Peanuts Movie (2015) that Johnson’s brother Craig produced.
