Derek Johnson was a small-town New Jersey boy who divided his time between two coasts.

He came to Rhode Island to work for an Internet-security company with a Fortune 500 client list.

But before moving to West Warwick last year, he helped children with life-threatening diseases live out their fantasies.

"He was a shining star," said Michelle Wells of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County, in Tustin, Calif.

In less than two years, the 32-year-old volunteer helped the charity grant eight wishes to children. Despite the emotional toll of working with children stricken by terrible illnesses, he was a tireless worker who got "down on his hands and knees to talk to children."

"Derek wanted to help, to give and to serve," Wells told The Providence Journal. "Derek was a man of tremendous character."