Harold “Hal” Edwin Johnson passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 17, 2013, at the age of 93 in Aberdeen, Washington, after a brief illness. He was born July 1, 1919, in Galesburg, Illinois, the second of three children born to Ed and Marie Johnson. His family moved to Sacramento, California when Hal was three years old, where he grew up with his sisters, Louise (Cullivan) and Margaret (Whitfield).
After high school, in 1938, he joined the California National Guard 184th Infantry Division achieving the rank of transportation Sergeant. In 1943, he transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps, was promoted to Second Lieutenant and received his pilot’s wings. In 1944, he flew his B17 Flying Fortress bomber “Little Patches” on 35 missions over Germany with many a close call. After World War II he graduated from Armstrong Business College with a degree in Business Administration.