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William Johnson

Nov. 14, 1918 – Nov. 17, 2007

William Henry Johnson, 89, died at his home of 57 years located off of Sunnyside Drive in Foster on Nov. 17, 2007.

He was born in Fargo N.D. on Nov. 14, 1918, the last of the four children of Henry and Adelaide McClintic Johnson. After his mother’s death in 1923, he moved with his grandmother to Oceola, Iowa where she found a home for him with Arthur and Harriet Smith. Mr. Johnson graduated with honors from Oceola High School in 1939.

With a friend he outfitted a Ford touring car to travel through the states working their way west, planning to eventually reach Mexico. (He finally reached Mexico on his BMW motorcycle in 1978.) While visiting friends in Sweet Home he took a job at the Santiam Mill and remained in Sweet Home until he was close to being drafted. He returned to Iowa and enlisted in the 113th Cavalry Group Mechanized Troop F, with which he trained at Camp Bowie, along the Mexican Border, Camp Hood, Texas; Camp Livingston and Camp Polk, La.

After training he was given the assignment of supply sergeant. In early 1944 the 113th was sent to the European theater. In February 1945 he was awarded the Bronze Star for “superior performance of his duties enabling supplies to reach troops in an efficient manner … efforts which reflect great credit upon himself and the military service.”

While training at Camp Bowie in Brownwood, Texas, he met and married his wife of 64 years, Sara Elizabeth Driskill, on Dec. 5, 1943. At the close of the war he returned to Texas and moved his family to the Pacific Northwest, where he eventually studied education at the University of Oregon. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1949 and a master’s of science in 1957 from the U of O.

He began his teaching career in the fall of 1949 at Sweet Home Union High School, teaching special reading, French and English.

When the family purchased Trails End Ranch off Sunnyside Drive summers were full of ranch-related activities. However, for many years the month of August was set aside for family camping trips to many wonderful places west of the Missisippi.

Mr. Johnson retired from teaching in 1980. After retirement he became active with senior advocacy, among other things. He was a member of the Sweet Home Senior Center and a member of the United Methodist Church of Sweet Home.

In 1978 he returned to his love of riding motorcycles, the primary mode of transportation of the mechanized cavalry, and over the years made trips lasting one to three months to Mexico, Alaska, the southern states, the eastern seaboard, Guatemala, Canada and many shorter trips. Mr. And Mrs. Johnson also traveled, by plane, to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

In 1988 Mr. Johnson organized a group of local volunteers with the goal of ending field burning in the Williamette Valley. The organization was called ENUF (End Noxious Unhealthy Fumes). The group gathered signatures from every county of the state in an attempt to place an intiative petition on the Oregon ballot in 1994. While it didn’t make it to the ballot the Oregon Legislature was moved to act, curtailing field burning smoke to a tolerable limit.

Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife, Sara; children, Stephen Michael and wife Lilian Williamson of Sweet Home; Geoffrey William Allen and wife Jean Hoxter of Redmond; Wash.; Heather Elizabeth of Foster; Christopher James and wife Jodi Ward of Rochester, Wash.; and Virginia Jane and husband Clifford Cotter of Albany; 12 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and his brother, Howard of San Diego, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his sister, Aletha Larson; brother, Georgie; and son, Howard Dana Bruce.

A memorial service service will be held at the United Methodist Church in Sweet Home at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, with private interment following.

Donations in Mr. Johnson’s memory can be made to the Sweet Home Senior Center or United Methodist Church.

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