Walter Scott Johnson, Jr., 90, died January 6, 2014, at his home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, following a brief illness. He leaves his wife of 49 years, Jewell Johnson (Shultz), his son, Walt Johnson (Joyce), daughter, Ruth Westerbeck (Rich) and three children by marraige:  Merle Keeney, Susan Wintermute (Will) and Lorri Pace (Russell).  Walter was the beloved “Grandpa” of nine and “Great Grandpa” of seven.

Walter was born and raised in the state of Indiana.  He served in the US Army during WWII as a staff sergeant in the medical corps stationed at the Army hospital in Chicago Ill.  After his stint in the Army, Walter and his first wife, Martha (Scott) (Keeney), migrated to the state of Washington in 1946 [see story and photo at the end of "His Life" section] where Walter eventually earned his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics at Washington State University in 1964.  In the between years, he attended WSC, worked on various farms and ran his own dairy farm near Elk, WA. [see stories and photos at the end of "His Life" section]. Beginning in 1964, Walter worked in the dairy industry for milk producers associations and Regional and National Dairy Councils in Denver, San Jose, Chicago, and Atlanta where he spent his retirement years.

Walter was cherished and admired by his entire blended family.  His focus on and care for each of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren made each individual know they were especially loved, honored and respected.  He loved nothing better than long, late-night discussions with family members about a huge variety of topics, often with keen interest in his kids’ and grandkids’ lives, thoughts, activities, accomplishments and opinions.  As an outspoken Democrat, Walter enjoyed following and discussing politics and current events.

Walter was also an accomplished woodworker.  All the children have wonderful small and large wood items that he built (or turned on his lathe) for them. He enjoyed visiting galleries and gift shops to gather ideas for his next woodworking projects. Over the years, Walter made five beautiful grandfather clocks that he distributed to his five children. The clocks are part of his legacy of making beautiful pieces for people he loved.

During his retirement years, Walter and Jewell travelled to Canada, Egypt and Israel, Europe, and Australia.  They travelled in the U.S. extensively, driving from their home in Georgia to the west coast visiting family, helping their adult children with home projects, and taking short car trips with various family members. They continued these trips every summer until he was 85 years old. During their driving trips they managed to visit every one of the lower 48 states and also visited Alaska and Hawaii.

Walter is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by all his extended family.