Citadel Alumni Obituaries

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