Leonard E. Johnson

Leonard Erwin Johnson of Neodesha, Kansas, died Tuesday, August 22, 2006, at the Golden Keys Nursing Home. He was 82.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, August 25, 2006, at the United Methodist Church under the direction of Penwell-Gabel Loran Fawcett Chapel. Interment will be in Neodesha Cemetery.
Friends may call at the funeral home Thursday from 1-8 p.m. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m.
The son of Levi and Nettie (Vance) Johnson, he was born August 16, 1924, in Alva, Oklahoma. He received his education in Alva before joining the US Navy. He served for four years in the South Pacific as a mechanic, repairing damaged naval aircraft.

On January 18, 1944, he was united in marriage to Ruth Elizabeth Jones in Wichita, Kansas. She survives at the home.

Mr. Johnson and his wife briefly owned a photo studio in Howard, Kansas, before moving to Neodesha where they established Johnson’s Studio and Camera Shop. They operated that business until retiring in the late 1990’s.
Mr. Johnson had served as the Mayor of Neodesha in the 1970’s and as a member of the Neodesha Lion’s Club, the United Methodist Church where he was a lay leader, the Wilson County Hospital Board of Directors and the Neodesha Industries Board of Directors. He was also a member of both the Independence and Fredonia Flying Clubs and was a longtime Boy Scout Leader in Neodesha.

He was a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Course and assisted with classes held in Neodesha.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Ralph and Ron, both of Neodesha; four grandchildren, Drew and Devin Johnson of Neodesha, Jimmie Sue Ballard of Fredonia, KS, and Veronica Johnson of Juneau, Alaska; and two great-grandchildren, Travis Ballard and Gracie Johnson.

Memorial contributions may be made to either the Neodesha Boy Scouts or the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association.

Condolences may be expressed at www.penwellgabel.com.