Gerald O. Johnson

BRYANT POND - Gerald O. Johnson, 65, of Bryant Pond passed away on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at his home. He was born in Norway on September 18, 1945, the son of Oscar and Julia Briggs Johnson. He grew up in Bryant Pond and graduated from Woodstock High School in 1963. 

He worked at Parker Allen, Hanover Dowell, Stowell’s mill until it closed in 1988, and retired from Saunders Brothers early, due to his health problems. He was a skilled lead set up man and even dabbled in being a foreman. Being a set up man for the Madison machine took a lot of intelligence and patience to build the machine head.

He married Virginia I. Tibbetts on May 1, 1965. On July 7, 1966 the happy couple was blessed with their first child, Eric Edgar Johnson, and on October 21, 1969 their second child was born, Michele L. Johnson-Wakefield. The Johnsons started their journey in Bethel. In 1979 the couple decided they had enough of the long harsh winters and opted to move to Bryant Pond so they wouldn’t have to snow blow a long dirt road every time it stormed.

While the children were young, Mr. Johnson loved to coach his son’s baseball team, The Bethel Red Sox - pretty good for a devoted Yankees fan. The leaving of Joe Torrey made him lose some of his faith in the New York Yankees, but he still supported them and loved to get a good ole fashion Red Sox/Yankee debate going. He loved the outdoors and everything about it, hunting, fishing, baseball, birds, fourwheeling and snowmobiling. Some of his fondest memories were those spent with his best friends, Tom Berryment and Harold Walker. He also was always up to a competitive game of cards. He would play cards on Friday night with the family and would get so riled he would end up in the ER with chest pains, and then he enjoyed Sunday morning cribbage games with his brother Charles.

Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife and best friend of 50 years, Virginia Tibbetts Johnson; a son, Eric Johnson and fiancé Wednesday Westleigh of South Paris; a daughter, Michele Johnson-Wakefield and husband Ray of Bryant Pond; grandchildren, Jacob and Jennifer Wakefield, Shania, Shaq and Colby; a brother, Charles L. Johnson and wife Wanda of Bryant Pond; sisters, Gloria Mae Johnson-Robinson and husband Royce of Groton, CT. and Marcia J. Morgan-Monk and husband Percy of Mason Township; half-brothers, James Johnson of Greenwood and Jeffrey Johnson of Florida and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by two sisters, Shirley Ann Morgan-Seames and Carla Jane Morgan-Martin; his stepfather, Edgar Morgan; his mother, Julia Briggs Morgan; his father, Oscar Gerald Johnson; stepmother, Evelyn “Diddy” Johnson and one of his best friends, Tom Berryment of Bryant Pond.

Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, December 1 at 1 p.m. at the Locke Mills Union Church. Arrangements are under the direction of Andrews Funeral Home, 64 Andrews Rd., Bryant Pond. On-line condolences may be shared with his family at www.andrewsgreenleaf.com.

Gerald O. Johnson Photo:

Gerald O. Johnson