Joseph C. Johnston

1938 - 2015

Joseph C. Johnston, 76

Joseph C. Johnston, age 76, passed away on Saturday, September 19, 2015. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 am, Thursday, September 24, 2015 at Lensing Funeral &Cremation Service, 605 Kirkwood Ave, Iowa City. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4-7 pm at the funeral home. Burial will be in Oak Hill cemetery, Tiffin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Tiffin Fire Department, P.O. Box 48, Tiffin IA, 52340. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lensingfuneral.com

Joe was born on October 26, 1938, Waterloo, IA the son of John and Veletta (Bravener) Johnston. He lived in Iowa his entire life, and spent a lot of time with grandparents and extended family on a farm near Frederika.

Joe graduated from St. Pat's High School in Iowa City in 1957. He played basketball for St. Pat's each year of High School, and worked in various jobs after high school. Joe joined the National Guard after graduation.

Joe and Judy Johnston married in 1957 and have four children, Tad, Tyler, Tim, and Tricia. He worked as a salesman before he enrolled in college at the University of Iowa in 1963. He received his BBA in Accounting and Economics in 1966 and his J.D. from the law school in 1968.

Immediately after law school, Joe was elected to the Iowa Legislature and re-elected in 1970. He stood against the war before it was popular and in his law practice, where Joe represented students and others involved in the Vietnam War protests. At one time, he succeeded in getting charges dismissed against over 100 student protesters. Joe also was the attorney for the Hawkeye Area Civil Liberties Union. He represented several students in high profile disciplinary cases across the state.

Joe was a pioneer in the use of computes in law firms and traveled the country for IBM, talking to lawyers about the benefits of computers in the practice of law.

In 1983, Joe married Amanda Potterfield, also a lawyer, and they made their home in Tiffin. They have one child, Harris. Joe was an active Democrat and announced his bid for election to the U.S. Congress in 1984, running against Cooper Evans in the then Third Congressional District which spanned the area between Iowa City and the Minnesota border. While the entire family and countless others helped in the campaign, Joe lost to the incumbent, but brought many ideas about the farm crisis and foreign policy to the Democratic Party. In 2014, he was inducted into the Iowa Democratic Hall of Fame.

Joe continued to practice law in Iowa City with the firm of Johnston, Stannard, Klessner, Burbridge, and Fitzgerald. He loved the game of basketball and played three times a week—the one appointment he never missed. He was an avid golfer and played a round the day he died. He was a rabid Hawkeye fan and watched the 57-yard winning field goal Saturday evening. In typical fashion, Joe managed to have it his way until the end.

Joe is survived by his wife Amanda Potterfield of Tiffin; five children, Tad Johnston of Hills, Tyler Johnston of Cedar Rapids, Tim Johnston of Memphis, TN, Tricia (John) Lacey of Des Moines, and Harris Johnston of Tiffin; one brother Tom (Cathy) Johnston of Waverly, IA; twelve grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

Joe is preceded in death by his parents, and a grandson Jonny Johnston.

Whether fighting for justice or playing basketball, Joe did it with his customary brio. To borrow words from son and author Tim, Joe embodied "all of the love, complexity, and humor of family, amen"