Olden Johnson Jr.

1934 - 2025

Olden Bea Johnson Jr. (O.B), 91, of Fresno, California passed away peacefully at his home on August 21, 2025, after a recent decline in his health due to heart disease. O.B. was born, February 1, 1934, to his parents, Olden Bea and Bess Johnson, in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he lived until he was ten years old. His family then moved to Fresno for his mother's health and his father accepted a job transfer with the American Tobacco Company. He attended Webster Elementary School and Washington Jr. High and graduated from Roosevelt High School, class of 1951. During his senior year at Roosevelt, he met his high school sweetheart, Barbara Ann Hord, class of 1952. After graduation from high school, O.B attended college at Fresno State University. Then in April of 1952 O.B. and Barbara were engaged - she was seventeen and he was eighteen - and they married on September 12, 1952.

In March of 1954, O.B. volunteered for the U.S. Army. After base training, he was selected for the Army Security Agency and was assigned to Camp Gordon, Georgia for High-Speed Radio Operator training. Upon graduation in December 1954, he received orders to report to Germany where he served from January 1955 to January 1956 on a small ASA base near Munich, Germany. In February 1956, he was Honorably Discharged. He returned to Fresno State College in September and graduated in 1958 with a minor in Business Administration and a major in Elementary Education. He was hired immediately by the Fresno Unified School District and became a sixth-grade teacher at Fremont Elementary School. It was during this time that his daughter, Kellie, was born. After teaching for four years and selling real estate part time, he was offered a sales position as a Contract Sales Executive with the General Electric Co. From August of 1962 until December 1966, he called on residential builders in the San Joaquin Valley. He was then promoted to Sales Manager in Burlingame, California. During this time his son, Stuart, was born. In 1968 he was promoted to marketing representative for the Range Department in Louisville, Kentucky. Then in June 1971, O.B. was promoted to Contract Zone Manager in southern New Jersey. A year later, in May 1972, he was appointed Contract Zone Manager for Southern California, and the family moved to Orange, California. During these next few years, he and his family enjoyed living in Southern California where he served as a Trustee on the Orange Unified School District Board.

In 1977, O.B. resigned from G.E. and became a partner with Rod DeLuca. They then formed DeLuca-Johnson Building Company in Fresno, California. After ten years, he formed his own home building company, Continental Builders, and built custom homes. He continued this until 1981 at which time he and Thatcher Threlkeld formed J & T Builders which built subdivision homes. He continued this until 1985 when he began land development. During the time he was a builder and developer, O.B. served as the President of the local Building Industry Association, President of the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco and President of the California Building Industry Association headquartered in Sacramento, California.

In 1988, O.B. and Barbara moved back to Southern California where he became a commercial realtor. He started Continental Realty and they spent the next 20 years in Murrieta, California. O. B. was an active member of Rotary, Chairman of the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce and also served as Advisory Board Chairman and Organizer of the Commerce Bank of Temecula Valley.

In August of 2018, O.B. and Barbara moved back to Fresno to be near his son, grandson and friends. They appreciated being back in Fresno after a long absence. They were also very pleased to be closer to their daughter, Kellie and her family who live in San Francisco. After Barbara's passing in 2021, O.B. spent his remaining years enjoying visits with his friends, time with his son and trips to Northern California to be with Kellie and her family and friends.

O.B. loved the outdoors – water skiing – Millerton and Bass Lakes, golfing – Sunnyside Country Club, tennis – Sierra Sport and Raquet Club, snow skiing – Sun Valley, Idaho and traveling to Berkeley to attend Cal Football games – when Kellie was at Cal (1979-1983). He also treasured time with his friends on Fridays in Temecula. But, most importantly, he will be remembered by those who knew him as a caring and generous person who considered his friends to be his wealth.

O.B is survived by his daughter, Kellie Abreu (San Francisco, CA) and her husband Steve Abreu, their son, Nathan and grandson Lucas Johnson (Fresno, CA).He is also survived by his nephew, David Hord, (Charlotte, NC) his wife Carla Hord and their children Catherine, Andrew and Charlotte as well as his niece, Barbie Michaelides (Fresno, CA) and husband.

Paul Michaelides and his cousin, Bernie Cole (Conroe,Texas). O.B. is predeceased by his wife, Barbara Hord Johnson, and his parents, O.B. and Bess Johnson and his son, Stuart Johnson. The family would like to thank O.B.'s amazing caregivers Tina, Joslyn and Eileen who provided endless care and love to O.B.

O.B. will be laid to rest with Military Funeral Honors on September 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Fresno Memorial Gardens. The family requests that instead of flowers, remembrances be made to Disabled American Veterans (https://www.dav.org) or Project Glimmer (https://www.projectglimmer.org).