Charles William Johnston's Obituary
Charles William Johnston, better known as “Chuck” Johnston, Son, husband, Father and Best Friend. Chuck passed away in the arms of his son Chip with his loving wife Donna by his side on January 22, 2021 at Highland Springs in Dallas, Texas. Chuck was born in Hartford Connecticut on March 17, 1930 to Charles Nathan Johnston and Elsie Marks Johnston. ST. Patrick’s Day was a major holiday in the Johnston home from then on! Chuck grew up in Stafford Springs, Connecticut with his younger sister Mary Ellen Johnston. According to his Mother, Chuck was a very energetic boy. He loved all sports and lettered in lacrosse and football at Stafford Springs High School, Connecticut. He got into the normal mischief young boys would. Chuck was a “gifted” carpenter and jack of all trades which he got from his father who was an Auburn University engineer graduate. Charles Nathan worked for Westinghouse and was Plant engineer for Pratt Whitney Aircraft in Hartford. Chuck’s much-loved grandfather, Charles Marks had also been the Plant Engineer at Pratt Whitney and was an inventor with many patents. Chuck went with his father Poppa Nat, many times over a weekend to the Plant, and saw many of the aircraft that the company was working on. He was always helping his father with projects around their home. When Chuck was high school age his father bought a 21-acre farm in Stafford Springs that had a beautiful 100-year-old farm house by the road, that had no indoor plumbing, automatic heat or water. Chuck and his father worked many months in bringing that home up to modern standards, and it was one of the many stories Chuck would tell about moving a city boy to the country. Poppa Nat loved to garden and also had a horse named Babe which he rode over the land... At one time Mary Ellen raised sheep for the 4 H club in the area and showed them at local Fairs. So Chuck’s early training with his father was used later on as he and Donna bought an older home on Continental Blvd in Toledo. When Chip was born in 1954, he was brought to that home.
After High School Chuck attended and graduated from Bryant College in Rhode Island with a degree in Business. He enlisted in the Army soon after College. It was during his basic training at Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania that he spent some week end leaves in Toledo Ohio with a soldier friend who set him up with a date with Donna Crocker, a senior at the University of Toledo. They started to court over several months until he got his orders to go to Korea. Before he left, they were engaged and when he came home 13 months later, they married and settled in the Toledo area. They would have been married 68 years this coming June.
After discharge from the army, he worked at several different jobs until he was hired by Owens Corning Fiberglas as Assistant Auditor which meant traveling the country. At this time he also enjoyed working with students in the Junior Achievement programs and became quite interested in these young people. A few years after, with Donna’s insistence that they might have a great life if both were teachers, he left the traveling with OC and went to work with General Motors and took evening classes to get his Teacher’s certification. He eventually received both a Master’s degree in Education and a Master’s in Business and began teaching at Springfield High School in Springfield Ohio a few miles from their home. At this time, he also pumped gas at night (4 to midnight) on the Ohio turnpike. Donna and young Chip would take him a lunch before Chip was put to bed each evening. Lots of Turnpike stories came from Chuck during this time. This shows the industrious nature this wonderful guy had. He was always working for his family. Another part time job while teaching, was at the Sears camera department at Westgate shopping center. After a few years teaching in Springfield, he got a teaching position in Sylvania at Sylvania High School where he taught Business Law, Marketing and finally Distributive Education, one of the first student work and school programs in Ohio. He also directed the Adult Education evening programs in Sylvania. He was the Magazine Drive Leader for the high school students and did various extra type tasks to help at the school. He was also the President of the Professional High School Teacher’s Group and retired from the Sylvania School system with 30 some years of teaching. Donna and Chuck had 64 years of combined teaching years in Education.
Chuck’s son, Charles Edward Johnston, known as “Chip” a chip off the old block, rather than being a “Junior”, arrived in 1954. Chuck was Chip’s best friend and taught him construction skills (another great story on that) and the love of sports. Chuck was the Best Man in Chip’s wedding to Jacque Bankston in the mountains of North Georgia in Big Canoe.
Chuck and Chip built many additions on their homes and lake houses together over the years. In particular when Chip was about 3 years old an addition to their home on Continental was being done in the late afternoons and early evenings after Chuck got home from teaching all day. He and Chip would go out to the addition area and pound nails, Chip with his hammer and apron with nails in the pockets would hammer away on the sub floor for hours as his Dad worked nearby. Both “boys” would be sweating before they were called in for dinner. That floor will never move that is for sure! Chuck loved his son, and many wrestling matches were enjoyed over the years on the living room floor. Chip followed his Dad everywhere. Even attending the same Sylvania High School, Chip would stop in his Dad’s office during the day, as would many of his students, stopping in for a quick visit or a counseling session. Chuck’s love for his young students as well as his son was all too evident. Chuck never missed any of Chip’s high school or college games. He inspired in Chip and his high school students that you can do anything you put your mind to. He was a Gentle Giant, A friend to all and a big brother and father image to his students throughout the years.
Chuck was a loving, loyal and encouraging husband to Donna. He supported her art interests to the point that he gave her a six month rental on half of the old Woolworth store in Sylvania, for her Christmas present in 1971. Telling her to forget her yearning for an Art shop, and go and set it up. Over that two weeks Christmas holiday, they along with some arty friends worked in painting, building shelves and creating the back ground to house the art work of Donna and some of their artist friends. As the shop developed it grew to offer the work of over 250 American designer arts and craftsmen from artists all over the Country. The store opened that January 1972 after the Christmas vacation days were used to get it ready. Two arty friends managed the shop during the day, and Chuck went in after his school day ended at 3 and kept the shop open the rest of the day and both Donna and he opened it on the weekends. Chuck always had framed Donna’s work and he eventually offered framing in this Sylvania gallery. When they retired, they moved the shop to Leland Michigan, as they also moved to their Lake house as a retirement home on Lake Leelanau.
Spring, Summer and Fall were spent in Michigan with the shop open, then it closed for the winter and Donna and Chuck travelled to Dallas for Christmas and the big Trade Show Market early in January, and then usually went to Chip’s lake house for a few weeks or even a month and took the children, Allison first and when Sarah came, both girls went with Gramps and Grammie to the Cedar Creek lake house near Athens, Texas. In a few years Donna and Chuck went to Hawaii, in particular staying on Maui. This winter trip extended from a 2 week period the first year to over two months by the end of the 18 winters they spent on the Island. Wonderful stories from those days, with visits from many dear friends from home. On many days Chuck would drop Donna off at the Hui for art classes, while he toured and found new beaches or places of interest where he would take Donna the next day. Delightful eateries and beautiful scenery he often found to share.
Chuck met many folks and in particular was a good friend and helper to one of Donna’s young art friends who had been recently divorced. He helped with many of her home projects in Maui and she a few years later helped paint the condo they had over there. (the Condo is another fun adventure these two have had.)
He has enjoyed witnessing the growing up of his granddaughters Allison and Sarah and a highlight in 2019, was Allison’s wedding to Matt Frizzo, in Dallas.
Chuck was a very generous man with his time and gave without any expectation of return or recognition. He was involved with many Churches in Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan and Texas and was a good Christian. He had a very big heart to go with his 6 ft 4 stature. He will be missed by all… If wisdom comes from what you don’t say, he was the wisest of men. He leaves a great legacy behind.
In lieu of Flowers, donations will go to: Honor Flight DFW 2201 Long Prairie Rd, Suite 107 PMB 376, Flower Mound, TX. 75022 or Salvation Army 1239 Barlow, Traverse City, Michigan, 49686.
Services will be 1:00pm March 17, 2021 Custer Road United Methodist Church, 6601 Custer Rd Plano, TX. As well as Traverse City, Michigan.
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