RICHARD JOHNSON

Richard "Dick" Henry Johnson, age 73, of Neenah, passed away peacefully with his family at his side at UW Madison Hospital on April 3, 2019 following a short battle with kidney cancer.

Dick was born on April 12, 1945 in Oshkosh to Henry and Dorothy (Stoddard) Johnson.  He spent his childhood and attended school in Oshkosh.  He then served in the Wisconsin National Guard from 1967 – 1973 and attained the expert rifle distinction.  Following his service, he worked at George Banta Company in Menasha for 41 years.  There he served on the Local 382 union board for numerous years.  He also served as the chairman of the backpay committee for 10 years, and he was instrumental in attaining the backpay settlement in 1987.  Dick was also very active in raising money for the United Way and spoke to numerous CEOs and employees of area companies in order to raise funds for United Way.  He was retired for 12 years, retiring in 2007.

Dick met his bride-to-be Barbara (Olinger) Johnson at the age of 18.  They were married on October 7, 1967 and enjoyed 51 ½ wonderful years together.  Dick is survived by his wife Barbara, his daughter Brenda (Scott) Broeske, his son Aaron (Amy) Johnson, and his grandsons Derek and Mitchell Broeske.  He is further survived by his sisters, Doreen (Dale) Bonfigt, Janice (Jim) Ponzer, Lynn Wegner, and his brother Jeff Johnson, along with many nieces and nephews, all of Oshkosh.  In addition, he is survived by many dear friends he loved.  He was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Dorothy, his sisters Pat Hazelwood and Kathy Graykowski, his mother-in-law Helen Olinger and brother-in-law Robert Olinger.

Volunteering and serving his community were very important to Dick.  Youth Go was the organization that he was truly passionate about.  His calling was to help youth in our community and give them a place to go for all kinds of resources.  The Dick Johnson Positive Influence Award was named after him in 2003 and is awarded yearly.  The Community Service State of Wisconsin Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to Dick by the AFL-CIO GCIU 382 in 1991.  He has received numerous other community service awards and his positive influence has spread to others.  He was always willing to help people, and he made an impact on numerous lives.

Dick enjoyed golfing, watching and betting on numerous sporting events, playing poker, trips to Las Vegas with dear friends, Bill and Gert Buchanan, and most importantly, spending time at home with his family.  He was an outgoing, fun-loving, generous, compassionate person who never took life too seriously and knew what was truly important.  His easy-going demeanor and constant smile drew people to him.  He was always pulling pranks and making people laugh.  We will miss his lively spirit and joy that he brought to our hearts.  His philosophy in life was to never lose your sense of humor, and he always lived by it.

The celebration of life for Dick will be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at Neenah's Westgor Funeral Home, 205 W. Doty Avenue.  Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 11:30 a.m. until the hour of service.  Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Neenah.  In lieu of flowers, donations to Youth Go in memory of Dick are welcome.

The family wishes to thank the outstanding, professional and caring TLC team at UW Madison for the expert and compassionate care they provided to Dick. 

Dick - Dad - Grandpa, you were a loving husband, father, and grandfather who will be greatly missed.  There is a hole in our hearts, but we know that you live on through us.  We carry you in our hearts until we meet again.  Love you always and forever, your family.