Robert Johnston

How do you pay homage to Robert Byron Johnston (Bob), whose life reads more like a James Bond novel with a sprinkling of Forrest Gump moments? A hero that saved lives in a war, in bizarre factory accidents, and even a submerged car. A husband that met the love of his life, married her three days later and stayed by her side for 64 years. An inventor that contributed to astronomy optics launching our current visions of the stars. A world record holder in deep-sea diving, precision targeting, and canine training.

A leader, Deputy Director of the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) in Texas, that created and implemented ‘inventory in the sky’ (lean manufacturing) for helicopter repair during the Vietnam War, long before the term was coined. And a civic minded business owner, Optical Systems Research (OSR), supporting the booming oil-field industry.

An activist while a member of the Sonoma County Astronomical Society (SCAS) in California. A teacher while fulfilling the role of Docent at the Robert Ferguson Observatory for the Valley of the Moon Observatory Association, dazzling thousands with his passion for celestial bodies.

And the list goes on and on as the ‘Greatest Generation’ mourns the loss of another member.

Bob passed quietly at the age of 86 and is survived by his loving wife, Kathleen (Schrock) Johnston; his brother, Harry E. Baker (wife Miriam) his daughters, Debra Johnston and Margo Millar (husband James); his sons, Robert Byron Johnston II (wife Debra) and Steven Albert Johnston; his grandchildren Danielle Creswick (husband Matthew), Rocky Savage (wife Sara), Mara Sorelles (husband Bryan) and Dorothea Millar; and 7 great-grandchildren.

Final and fitting resting place for a true patriot: Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota