Warren Johnston

JOHNSTON, Warren

Warren Johnston, a newsman and editor in six cities over four decades, died December 9, 2023, in Lebanon, NH, of complications of cardiac surgery. He was 77 years old.

In a prolific career, Mr. Johnston had stints as Bureau Chief at The Tampa Tribune, editor at the Las Vegas Sun, and editor-columnist at the NH Valley News. He was perhaps best known as a mentor and leader who helped shape the careers of numerous young journalists, encouraging them to approach their stories from a personal perspective and to bring humanity to bear in the telling. Low-key and gentle, but with high standards, he was described by a co-worker as a "true Southern gentleman." A Tampa Tribune editor remembers him as an "authoritative editor who knew how to weigh a situation critically, while helping a reporter craft a story in the best possible light."

Born in Atlanta on June 23, 1946, to Richard B. and Jane Dillon Johnston, Mr. Johnston was the youngest of four sons. He attended North Fulton High School, where he was twice elected class president, and played football and ran track. He earned a Bachelor's degree in history from the University of Georgia in 1969. After a start in Atlanta commercial real estate and a Buckhead restaurant with Louis Osteen, who was later a James Beard-recognized chef, Warren spent a graduate year in journalism at the University of Georgia. There he met Sandy Gaines, a beautiful art student whom he married in July 1978.

In every place he lived, Mr. Johnston left behind a trail of good will and affection, of friends enriched by his compassion and kindnesses, and by communities improved through his creative activism – the rice fields rejuvenated as a result of the Pawleys Island Crawfish Festival, the annual Raeford, NC Turkey Festival, and the Natchez, MS Balloon Festival. After retirement from the Valley News, he was involved with VT Upper Valley Trails and the Alliance for Vermont Communities, which stopped an urban planned community that would have desecrated the surroundings.

Mr. Johnston was preceded in death by his brother, W. Dillon Johnston, PhD; and is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sandy Gaines Johnston of South Royalton, VT; his brothers, Richard B. Johnston, Jr., MD of Colorado, and Charles L. Johnston of Atlanta. To honor his memory, the family invites you to contribute to The Vermont Food Bank in his name. https://fundraise.vtfoodbank.org/give/413222/#!/donation/checkout.