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Robert Wayne "Bob" Johnson

Robert Wayne "Bob" Johnson obituary, Port Charlotte, FL

Robert Johnson Obituary

Robert "Bob" Wayne Johnson, 69, of Port Charlotte, Florida passed away peacefully on May 4, 2024, surrounded by his family at Tampa General Hospital.

Bob was born to Harriet and Wayne Johnson on June 29, 1954, in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Linda Johnson. He is survived by his wife, Pamela Johnson; children, Ryan Johnson (Lindsey), Aden Johnson (Jessica), Eva Desjardins, Wade Desjardins, and Connor Goodfriend; grandchildren, Kaylie Johnson, Harlyn Johnson, Maryn Johnson, Finley Johnson, and Lily Johnson; and his sister Cheri Dressel (Bruce) and family.

Bob was a lifelong Penn State fan, never missing an opportunity to discuss Penn State Athletics with his sons. Bob served in the United States Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller. After his military service, he moved to Florida where he opened a movie theater, which also operated as a restaurant and bar, named "Pitchers and Pictures Theater and Tavern." In 1983, Bob's business was chosen as the "Best New Business in Sarasota." Bob began his 33-year career as a teacher, coach, and Model UN Team founder and sponsor at Port Charlotte High School in 1988. Over the course of his career, he traveled to ninety countries, many with students in tow, learning and teaching about religions, politics, and cultures around the world. He took photos and authored articles for magazines about his travels, and he became a sought-after public speaker. On one of these trips, he met the love of his life, Pamela.

Bob's career is memorialized by a number of state-wide, national, and international awards, including the following: Charlotte County Teacher of the Year (2x), Macy's Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist, National Secondary Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award, Outstanding Teacher Awards from NASDAQ and TIME magazine, Florida Global Educator of the Year Award, Harvard Club Distinguished Teacher Award, Nobel Excellence in Education Award, and "Outstanding Educator" awards from Bowdoin College, Swarthmore College, Harvard University, and University of Chicago. His favorite award was the Grand Prize Free Travel Award from E.F. Education, where he won a free two-week adventure in the Indian Ocean, following an itinerary that he designed. Countless students credit Bob with giving them the confidence, guidance, and direction in their lives that no teacher or mentor before him had ever done. Through his students, Bob's impact extends world-wide, and his family feels immeasurably blessed to have had his steadfast counsel all these years. Bob truly embodied his motto in life, a quote from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: "True power is having the ability to positively impact others and the world while living a simple, intelligent, and experientially rich existence." Bob's family would like to thank the Lung Transplant Team, Cardiac ICU nurses, and Medical Staff at Tampa General Hospital for the care and compassion provided to Bob for the past two years.

A Celebration of Life service for Bob will be held Saturday 11:00 AM, June 29, 2024, at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center, 75 Taylor Street, Punta Gorda, Florida 33950 followed by a gathering of family and friends until 1:00 PM.

Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to extend condolences to the family.

Arrangements by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory Port Charlotte Chapel.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Sun Newspapers from May 10 to May 11, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Robert Johnson

Sponsored by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory - Port Charlotte.

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2 Entries

Debora Came-Ahearn

June 6, 2024

Mr. Johnson- you touched my heart when my son Jim Ahearn was your student. "he's an old soul" you told me- you really cared about him at a time when Jim needed a mentor and a friend. You both had a hunger for knowledge and you encouraged him to think things thru. The trip to Europe you were a trusted friend and educator. May God reward you for the many lives you've touched in such a powerful and kind way. With the greatest respect and heartfelt condolences for your treasured family I am
Respectfully yours,
Deb Came -Ahearn, CCT/ RMA

Jim Ahearn

June 5, 2024

Johnson was one of the two teachers that I consider to be foundational for the adult I have grown to be. He taught me to question effectively, to apply empathy intelligently as a tool to foster understanding, to reassess what he termed "social constructions of reality" and that currently might be referred to as "first principles." I was there when he started Model UN as a formal school club. I was there when he was setting up the Indigenous Art and Reality Project at the school. I was blessed to have been able to go on the Europe Trip over the summer of 1998. I was even lucky enough to get to visit his class and be a guest speaker when I came back to Port Charlotte as a recruiter for the Navy between 2009-2011. Johnson made the world a better place by being the sort of influence that made his students better people. He will be sorely missed.

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Memorial Events
for Robert Johnson

Jun

29

Service

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center

75 Taylor St,, Punta Gorda, FL 33950

Funeral services provided by:

Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory - Port Charlotte

2151 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte, FL 33948

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