Obituary of Stanley C. Johnson, Jr.

Stanley C. Johnson Jr., 93, of Iowa City and formerly of Dekalb, Illinois, passed away Friday, January 9, 2015 at Atrium Village in Hills, Iowa. No public services are planned. Family graveside services will take place at Arlington National Cemetery where military honors will be rendered. Memorial contributions can be made to Iowa City Hospice or Atrium Village in Hills. Stanley Curtis Johnson was born in a farmhouse near Lee, IL, second son of Stanley and Elsie (Mosher) Johnson. He attended Toad Hollow Elementary School and graduated from Shabonna High School. After Pearl Harbor in early 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He attended Air Corps Officer Candidate School at Miami Beach, FL, where he met his wife, Katie. On December 1, 1942, they were married in the Chapel at Langley Field, VA. He was transferred to the 368th Fighter Group in New York the following fall until the Group sailed to England in December 1943. The Group was the first fighter-bomber group to fly combat missions in France, moving to Normandy 13 days after D-Day. After 23 months in England, France, Belgium and Germany, Stan came home in November, 1944, and went on inactive duty with the Air Corps Reserve. Returning to DeKalb, Stan spent two and a half years with the DeKalb Trust and Saving Bank and Fox Valley Production Credit Association, before returning to active duty with the newly formed US Air Force in 1948. Highlights of his 20 year career included a year in Saudi Arabia; 3 ½ years in Japan with a Military Advisory group helping Japan rebuild its military forces; and five years in the Pentagon heading an office selling military equipment and services to countries allied to the US. He retired as a Colonel ... READ MORE → Stanley C. Johnson Jr., 93, of Iowa City and formerly of Dekalb, Illinois, passed away Friday, January 9, 2015 at Atrium Village in Hills, Iowa. No public services are planned. Family graveside services will take place at Arlington National Cemetery where military honors will be rendered. Memorial contributions can be made to Iowa City Hospice or Atrium Village in Hills. Stanley Curtis Johnson was born in a farmhouse near Lee, IL, second son of Stanley and Elsie (Mosher) Johnson. He attended Toad Hollow Elementary School and graduated from Shabonna High School. After Pearl Harbor in early 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He attended Air Corps Officer Candidate School at Miami Beach, FL, where he met his wife, Katie. On December 1, 1942, they were married in the Chapel at Langley Field, VA. He was transferred to the 368th Fighter Group in New York the following fall until the Group sailed to England in December 1943. The Group was the first fighter-bomber group to fly combat missions in France, moving to Normandy 13 days after D-Day. After 23 months in England, France, Belgium and Germany, Stan came home in November, 1944, and went on inactive duty with the Air Corps Reserve. Returning to DeKalb, Stan spent two and a half years with the DeKalb Trust and Saving Bank and Fox Valley Production Credit Association, before returning to active duty with the newly formed US Air Force in 1948. Highlights of his 20 year career included a year in Saudi Arabia; 3 ½ years in Japan with a Military Advisory group helping Japan rebuild its military forces; and five years in the Pentagon heading an office selling military equipment and services to countries allied to the US. He retired as a Colonel in 1968 and received the Air Force Distinguished Service medal. He returned to DeKalb and in 1969 was elected as a delegate to the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention. The Convention completed the first new Constitution in a hundred years ago which was adopted in November 1970. Of the 102 counties in the state, the citizens of DeKalb County cast the fourth largest affirmation vote for adoption, a result that was a source of great pride to Stan. He later served on the DeKalb County Board. Other achievements included being instrumental in establishing the Kishwaukee Community Hospital. For 15 years he was a volunteer with the Kishwaukee Hospital Auxiliary as a Medicare Insurance adviser. He spent 10 years on the DeKalb Public School Districts Committees and Board, including two years as its President. He was also an AARP Tax Aide volunteer for 22 years, helping seniors and low income persons prepare their tax returns. He and Katie started Johnsons' Orchard and built their house in a barn on the property in 1973. In 1984, it was sold to the McArtors who, as Jonamac Orchard, have developed it into one of the foremost fall rural attractions in Northern Illinois. He is survived by his wife Katie; sister Lois Gardner; his daughters Jan Mize, and Judy (Bill) Martin; five grandchildren, Katie (Sean) Kassim; Trey (Kim) Martin, and children Kiah, Willa and Briar; Marnie (Oscar) Cedillos and children Conner and Isabel; Thomas (Tina) Mize and children Mackenzie, Will, and Hannah; and Jenna (Bryan) Davis and children Katelyn and Liam. He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers Owen, Leonard, and James Johnson; sisters, Barbara, Caroline and Marjorie; son-in-law William Mize; and a granddaughter, Kerry Mize. BACK TO TOP