LCDR Howard George Johnson, USN, Ret., of Virginia Beach, Va., passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends on Friday, August 3 after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia. He was born August 21, 1937 in Bridgeton, NJ., and following graduation in 1955, from Bridgeton High School, he attended The Pennington School in New Jersey. He graduated from the Citadel in Charleston, SC in 1960, and entered the US Navy where he was in the Civil Engineer Corps for twenty years. His tours of duty included a year in-country in Vietnam. Following his retirement from the Navy, he worked locally as an engineering consultant, and then spent ten years as Assistant Physical Plant Director at George Mason University. He retired in 1999, and devoted himself to his family and volunteer work in areas that included the Virginia Aquarium, Spring Branch Community Church, Meals on Wheels, and The Sons of Norway. Other interests included birds, travel, collecting Sinclair Oil memorabilia, history, and genealogy. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was predeceased by his parents, Marion (Jerrell) and George Johnson, his brother, George Johnson, Jr., and special grandnephew Ryan Meyers. He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Carolyn Ham Johnson, son Jerrell Johnson, wife Lisa, and grandsons Brett and Benjamin Johnson and daughter, Kirsten Balenger, husband Tracy, and grandsons, Nicholas and Brady. He is additionally survived by his Sister-in-law, Diane Johnson, his niece and her husband, Karen and Rich Elwell, and grandnieces, Ashleigh and Katelin; his niece and her husband Heather and Jim Meyers and grandnephew, Jimmy. We will forever be grateful to special friends Peggy and Max Taylor who came to spend the final days with us. We are also grateful to his devoted physical therapist, Kathy Funk, and devoted caregivers Pattie Matthews and Marty O’Neil, as well as members of hospice, especially his nurse Megan Avots. There will be a celebration of life service at Spring Branch Community Church, 1500 Great Neck Rd., Virginia Beach 23454 at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 12 with a reception following the church service. Burial will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. The family requests that memorials be made to Spring Branch Community Church or to the Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultre St., Charleston, SC 29409-0001. Tags: 1960
Posted in:
Posted on:
Link to original obituary: