Charles F. Johnson III

Family-Placed Obituary

JOHNSON, Charles F. III beloved husband, father, loyal friend and proud Champaign Countian, died April 7, 2005 in Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton where he had been admitted April 5 after a brain hemorrhage. A native of Urbana, he was born on January 2, 1939, the son of Farnham and Dorothy Thomas Johnson. He was a 1957 graduate of Urbana High School, attended Urbana Junior College, the University of Colorado and received his degree in business from The Ohio State University. He became an associate of Bernard & Company, Investments, in Columbus, later joining the Ohio Company. In 1969, he became President and CEO of the Johnson Manufacturing Company, founded in 1803 by his grandfathers family, of Quaker heritage, for the manufacture of railroad tinware. He revitalized and expanded the firm, creating Johnson Industries Corporation, which supplied components for the trucking, air and space industries. The firms resources were shared for the benefit of business, educational and cultural interests in the community and beyond. The factory offices displayed a remarkable collection of American art, many pieces from area artists. During this time, he served as adviser to the Urbana High School Student Council and was devoted to advancing educational opportunities for the young people he loved. He created two annual Johnson Industries scholarships for UHS graduates. He was a member and President of the Urbana University Board of Trustees and was instrumental in the school becoming accredited as a four-year institution. He was recognized as an outstanding alumnus by the U.U. Alumni Association for his leadership and dedication to t college and community. He retired from JIC in 1985, engaged in business consulting and became active in community service. He was also a member and President of the Board of Education of Urbana City Schools, completing his first term at the time of his death. In 2004, he was named a Master Board Member by the Ohio School Boards Association. He had recently joined the Champaign County Literary Council and served on an advisory board for Hi Point Joint Career Center. He chaired the Champaign County Ohio Bicentennial observance in 2003 and headed the Champaign County Bicentennial Society for the celebration of the Champaign County / Urbana 200th anniversary this year. He also served on the board of the Main Street, Urbana Champaign organization, as president this past year. He was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, served on the vestry, the Stewardship Committee and was currently Senior Warden. He was also a member of the Council of the Northern Miami Valley Episcopal Cluster. His participation in the Epiphany Men and Boys Choir of the 1950s was a cultural and spiritual highlight of his life. The arts delighted him and he was a 30-year member of the Champaign County Arts Council, initiating and supporting cultural experiences for the schools and community. He was also a member of the Champaign County Historical Society, the Champaign County Preservation Alliance, the Humane Association, Welsh Society of Central Ohio, the Ohio Historical Society, the Springfield Museum of Art, and the Ohio School Boards Association. He is survived by his wife, Sally Robinson Johnson; daughter Amy Johnson Beck (William), of Columbus; son William Farnham Johnson, of New York City; brother Thomas Berry Johnson (Jane); nephews Thomas Berry Johnson, Jr., and Andrew Farnham Johnson; an uncle and aunt, Robert and Marian Thomas Davis; cousins Linda Davis Smith (Wayne), Mark Alan Davis, Kirk McCrery, Ann McCrery Nisonger, many cousins and precious family friends, especially Dorothy Headlee, Nellie Smith and Betty Borries. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother William Farnham Johnson, a cousin Jennifer Davis Yocom and an uncle, John (Jack) W. Thomas. The family will receive friends on Sunday, April 10, from 2-4 p.m., and 6-8 p.m. at WALTER SCHOEDINGER FUNERAL HOME, a Dignity Memorial Provider, 642 South Main Street. A funeral service will be held Monday, April 11 at 1 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany corner of Scioto and Kenton Streets in Urbana with the Reverend Tim West and the Reverend Jim V. Bills officiating. Burial in Oak Dale Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to the Church of the Epiphany, 230 Scioto Street.