George Wesley Johnston Jr. December 10, 1922 – April 7, 2011

  George Wesley Johnston, Jr. was born in Sweetgrass county, Montana to George Wesley Johnston, Sr. and Marjory (Guthrie) Johnston on December 10, 1922 and died on April 7, 2011 at an age of 88 years. At an early age he moved with his parents to southern California where he attended grade school. In 1932 a move was made back to Billings, Montana and they lived there through the winter, moving to Kansas City, Kansas in the spring. He finished his schooling in Kansas City and graduated from Argentine high school in 1940. 

After graduation he joined the navy and served for 17 years during World War II, the Korean War and the naval reserves. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, he was at sea and was the radio officer who took the call from Fleet Headquarters in Pearl Harbor that said the harbor had been bombed by the Japanese. During World War II, he was on a destroyer and took part in the Battle of Midway. During the Korean War he was on the battleship, Missouri, shelling the coast of North Korea. While in the reserves he lived in the Los Angeles area and worked for the telephone company. This became his lifelong occupation. 

In 1948 he married Jane Gibbs and to this union three sons were born, Stephen John, Victor Lee and Bruce Andrew. During his tenure with the telephone company he was transferred to the Merced office and lived in Merced and then in rural Atwater, California. When he retired, he and his wife bought a few acres in the mountains near Mariposa, California where they lived the rest of their life.

He was a short wave radio enthusiast and built his own short wave radio at home when he was a young teenager. He continued this enthusiasm throughout his life having the distinction of talking to someone in every country in the world.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife; a brother-in-law, Oral James, and three nephews, Dennis and Darrell James and Darren Johnston.

Left to mourn his passing are his sons, Steven (Lori) Johnston of Williamsburg, Iowa, Victor (Lucia) Johnston of Modesto, California and Bruce Johnston of Mariposa. California; three grandsons, Andrew, Nathaniel and Taylor Johnston; brothers, Neil (Irma) Johnston and Allen (Sandy) Johnston; a sister, Rose James; many nieces and nephews, and other relatives.

His body was cremated with memorial services pending.