John G. Johnson

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John G. Johnson, 89, of Vincennes, died at his home on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

 

 

 

 

He was born on May 31, 1927 in Lafayette to John C. and Ruby (Eckerstrom) Johnson and grew up in Boswell. After graduating from high school in 1945, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. During his 13 months in the service, he was stationed in San Francisco, Pearl Harbor, and Guam.

John earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Indiana University in 1950. He returned home to work on his family’s farm before taking a job at the Boswell school in 1953, where he taught English and social studies. He married Barbara Ann Smith in 1955. After receiving a master’s degree from Purdue University, he worked as a high school principal at Boswell, Attica, Goshen, South Knox, and Wood Memorial (Oakland City).

John was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church. He enjoyed reading, particularly books about American history and World War II.

After retiring, he worked as a docent at the Vincennes State Historic Sites. He also served on the board of the Knox County Public Library for 16 years.

During retirement, John and his wife Barbara traveled extensively, visiting numerous countries and all seven continents. His final trip was a one-­day excursion with a group of veterans to Washington, D.C. in October 2015, courtesy of Honor Flight of Southern Indiana.

In addition to his wife, John is survived by his children Bill Johnson (wife Pam) of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; Jean Johnson of St. Joseph, Michigan; Rick Johnson (wife Xin Zhang) of Valparaiso; and Gayle Johnson of Carmel; grandchildren Jason Johnson, Alicia Johnson, Julie Weller (husband Andrew), and Amber Johnson; and brother Russell Johnson (wife Marilyn) of West Lafayette.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Howard Johnson, and his son Tom Johnson.

Memorial contributions may be made to the children’s scholarship fund at the Vincennes YMCA.

The funeral service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Vincennes on Friday, April 21, 2017. Visitation/viewing will occur at noon and the funeral will occur at 1:00 p.m. Burial will occur in Kentland, IN at a future date. Goodwin Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.goodwinfamilyfh.com