Henry L. Johnson

Newport, - Henry L. ?Bud? Johnson, 84, of 25 Whitwell Avenue Newport, formerly of 13 Atlantic Street, died Tuesday, April 15, 2003 at home. He was the husband of Catherine ?Eileen? Jackson Johnson. Born in Newport, RI on September 8, 1918, he was the son of the late Louis H. and Isabelle Barker Johnson. In the 1930s, Mr. Johnson was one of the original members of the North End Club and played on and coached many of their athletic teams. He also coached several CYO, Little League and Babe Ruth baseball teams. Mr. Johnson was a graduate of the 1936 class of Rogers High School. He spoke at the schools 1996 exercises on the 60th anniversary of his graduation. Mr. Johnson was a sheet metal worker at the Quonset Air Base and the Naval Torpedo Station on Goat Island. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII as an aviation metalsmith, and was stationed in Guam and received an Honorable Discharge in 1946. Mr. Johnson retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1978 after 38 years of service during which time he received several incentive and superior service awards. He later worked as a realtor for Lamond Associates and Remax Realtors where he was named Remaxer of the year in 1988. He was named Newport County Realtor of the Year in 1987 and received the Presidents Award in 1991 from the Rhode Island Association of Realtors. He was communicant of St. Augustins Church and served as Lector for many years and was past president of the churchs Parish Council. He was also a member of the Holy Name Society and the De La Salle Fathers Club. Besides his wife of 61 years he is survived by five sons Douglas Johnson of Reston, VA, Dennis Johnson of Greensboro, NC, Russell Johnson of Portsmouth, RI, Kevin Johnson of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, and Paul Johnson of Miami, FL, two daughters Eileen Ratkiewicz of Agawam, MA, and Christine Duckworth of Portsmouth, RI, his sister Irene Howard of Fairhaven, MA, fifteen grandchildren, five Great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was the father of the late Kenneth Johnson and the brother of the late Louise Dyer. His funeral will be held on Tuesday, April 22, 2003, at 9:30 AM from the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a Mass of Christian burial at 10:30 AM in St. Augustins Church, Carroll Avenue, Newport. Burial will be in St. Columba Cemetery in Middletown. Donations in his memory may be made to the St. Augustins Building Fund, 2 Eastnor Road, Newport, RI 02840 or to Visiting Nurse Hospice Service of Bristol and Newport Counties, 1184 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871.