ForeverMissed
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Joseph Manley Johnson, born 1930, a native of Jamestown, North Dakota, passed away peacefully on April 14,2021, in Carmichael, California. He is survived by his brother Jerome Johnson, son Robert Johnson, and daughter Carol Bowman, granddaughter Kristen Bowman, and grandson, James Bowman III. He was preceded in death in 2013 by his beloved wife, Gayle.  



Joseph served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War era with the 1155th Technical Operations Squadron, service that took him him across the United States and Pacific many, many times. After Air Force retirement, he greatly enjoyed a second wind in retail management. Joseph was active with his Air Force unit’s (AFTAC) alumnae association, serving as the California chapter president. His continuing friendships with these great people were a constant in his retirement years.



To his family, Grandpa Joe was always the iconic Sargent: get it done, get it done now, get it done right. Joe accrued so many great   life experiences from the farm in ND, his travels in Asia, his and Gayle’s trips across the U.S. to visit MLB baseball parks, family camping (especially in Hawaii and Trinity County), and his colleagues in the Air Force. The weekend before his death, he entertained all his family members with his great reminiscences. 



Joseph will be interred at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, joining Gayle. 





Tributes

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Robert Needles
April 29, 2021
April 29, 2021
Josephine and I will always remember the raft trip down the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River in 1981. With Gale and Joe. Joe was like a mountain goat climbing the trails on the side of the canyon. Its a memory of the great time we had. 
Carol Bowman
April 23, 2021
April 23, 2021
With his stoic German and Norwegian roots, Dad wasn’t one to show much emotion. Never the less it was clear to all of us that he loved his family very much. He was a wonderful father and grandfather and surrogate father for his son-in-law after losing his own father years ago. 

One of my fondest memories of Dad was when he asked me to help him install his automatic sprinkler system timer. Growing up on a farm, Dad’s talents included mechanical and electrical know how. He could fix most anything and was a definite do-it-yourself kind of guy. I was the smallest in the family so he elected me to crawl under the house to run the electrical connections. Under the house with the spiders, slugs, all sorts of creepy crawlers – who knew what surprises there would be! Dad was very good at explaining what was needed. If you are a good listener and follow directions to the letter you would be in his good graces forever. Well, the project went swimmingly; no more turning on and off sprinklers for our large yard. He treated his skinny teenage daughter like a princess the rest of the summer. (And really, for the rest of his life!)

I’ll cherish all the MLB games we watched and/or attended together and will always remember one game in particular. It was May 1st, 1991, Yankees vs. A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. Dad and I were such hard-core fans that we attended while toting along his infant grandson in a front pack. Jimmer was a good sport at 2 months old! We witnessed Ricky Henderson steal third base and surpass Lou Brock for the all-time stolen base record. While Ricky was holding the base over his head celebrating the moment, we were hoisting Jimmer up as well. (The A’s went on to win that game 7 –4.) We attended many more Giants and A’s games over the years, World Series Championships to blow-out losses; it was time with Dad I will always remember and cherish.
Love Always,
Carol
Phillip Godfrey
April 22, 2021
April 22, 2021
Rest in Peace, Joe. You will be missed. Your family is in our prayers, and we know you'll be looking down upon us all from a much better place.

Sincerely,
Phil Godfrey
AFTAC Alumni Association

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Recent Tributes
Robert Needles
April 29, 2021
April 29, 2021
Josephine and I will always remember the raft trip down the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River in 1981. With Gale and Joe. Joe was like a mountain goat climbing the trails on the side of the canyon. Its a memory of the great time we had. 
Carol Bowman
April 23, 2021
April 23, 2021
With his stoic German and Norwegian roots, Dad wasn’t one to show much emotion. Never the less it was clear to all of us that he loved his family very much. He was a wonderful father and grandfather and surrogate father for his son-in-law after losing his own father years ago. 

One of my fondest memories of Dad was when he asked me to help him install his automatic sprinkler system timer. Growing up on a farm, Dad’s talents included mechanical and electrical know how. He could fix most anything and was a definite do-it-yourself kind of guy. I was the smallest in the family so he elected me to crawl under the house to run the electrical connections. Under the house with the spiders, slugs, all sorts of creepy crawlers – who knew what surprises there would be! Dad was very good at explaining what was needed. If you are a good listener and follow directions to the letter you would be in his good graces forever. Well, the project went swimmingly; no more turning on and off sprinklers for our large yard. He treated his skinny teenage daughter like a princess the rest of the summer. (And really, for the rest of his life!)

I’ll cherish all the MLB games we watched and/or attended together and will always remember one game in particular. It was May 1st, 1991, Yankees vs. A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. Dad and I were such hard-core fans that we attended while toting along his infant grandson in a front pack. Jimmer was a good sport at 2 months old! We witnessed Ricky Henderson steal third base and surpass Lou Brock for the all-time stolen base record. While Ricky was holding the base over his head celebrating the moment, we were hoisting Jimmer up as well. (The A’s went on to win that game 7 –4.) We attended many more Giants and A’s games over the years, World Series Championships to blow-out losses; it was time with Dad I will always remember and cherish.
Love Always,
Carol
Phillip Godfrey
April 22, 2021
April 22, 2021
Rest in Peace, Joe. You will be missed. Your family is in our prayers, and we know you'll be looking down upon us all from a much better place.

Sincerely,
Phil Godfrey
AFTAC Alumni Association
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Recent stories
May 3, 2021
by Pat and Dick Albani
Bob and Carol,
Your mom and dad were very special to us and certainly role models, especially when we were all living on Wheeler AFB, Hawaii.   Your dad helped us on at least a mechanical issue or two. I have a favorite recipe of your mom’s, Tomato Beef. I think of her often when rinsing dishes – not to waste too much water.
Before you all moved to Sacramento, we picked up your cat, Topo, at the airport and kept him for a while until you all arrived. Don’t recall how long we had him, but it was interesting. He chose to sleep on a pillow on the headboard of our bed. It was creepy until we got accustomed to have him staring down on us!  Your mom was mortified when she came to take him home. She was greeted by, then 3 or 4 year old, Robyn wheeling Topo in her doll buggy. Topo was dressed in doll clothes including a bonnet!  I can still picture the sight!
Ric, then 4 or 5,  recalls getting his feet caught in the spokes of Dick’s bicycle when we were all out riding one evening. We were near your house, on Wheeler, so there we went and your mom “patched him up”!
Can’t remember exactly when it was, but before your mom passed away, we are pleased that we got to visit you all in Sacramento. Bob, you cooked a memorable, fabulous gourmet dinner for Dick and me!  Carol stopped by and we got to visit with her.  It was such a nice visit. 
We send Condolences, Love and Blessings to you and yours.
Pat and Dick Albani

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