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H. Johnson Obituary
Passed away peacefully on September 14, 2013 in Los Gatos, CA. Born April 22, 1920 in Oakland, CA. Corwin grew up in Oakland and Piedmont and met his late wife of 67 years, Jean Gearhart Johnson, while at Piedmont Junior High School. They attended U.C. Berkeley together where he was a member of Chi Psi fraternity, Naval ROTC, and the staff of the Daily Californian. He received his B.A. in Economics in 1942 and immediately entered active service in the Navy, serving on the U.S.S. Pensacola for the duration of the war. He received the Silver Star medal and two Purple Heart medals for heroic action in battle.
After the war, Corwin joined and eventually became President and CEO of Linney Company of Oakland and Emeryville and oversaw the company's merger with Gearmore before his retirement in 1985. During his career, he was active in and served as President of the Farm Equipment Wholesalers' Association.
A passionate volunteer throughout his life, Corwin was President of North Oakland Rotary Club, Master of Piedmont Masonic Lodge #521, and on the Board of Lincoln Child Center as well as active in all Cal Alumni activities, Boy Scouts, Naval ROTC, Los Gatos Rotary, and Piedmont Community Church and later Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, and Los Gatos Presbyterian Church.
Corwin took up scuba diving late in life and had adventures exploring the waters of Hawaii, the Galapagos and the South Pacific as well as diving for treasure off Ecuador. Having played bagpipes in the Piedmont High School Band and marched in the inaugural parade opening the Bay Bridge, he helped bring the pipe tradition back to Piedmont and traveled with the new band to Scotland for a bagpipe festival in the early 1990s.
Corwin is survived by his daughter Carolyn Johnson Foster, his granddaughters Carrie Moutzouridis and Alexa Martinez, and five great-grandchildren, Bella, Emily, P.J., Anna, and Alex. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at Los Gatos Presbyterian Church, 16575 Shannon Road, Los Gatos. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to a charity of your choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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