Benjamin Charles Johnson, MD, DrPH died at home in his recliner on July 3, 2019, following a very brief illness. He was born on July 22, 1924 to Fred B. Johnson and Opal Mae Cecil Johnson in Watertown, South Dakota, The birthplace of his father. Ben was married to Joyce Claire Power in Denver, Colorado in 1951. Ben and Joyce had two children, Eric Paul Johnson of Oakmont, Pennsylvania and Sybil Kay Johnson of Cranston, Rhode Island.
Ben was proud of his military service. He told of intentionally flunking a physics course at Notre Dame to get back to the real war. He got his wish and served as a "Seagoing Marine" during WWII. He was a deck gunner on the Cruiser Boston. He returned home to complete his college education at the University of South Dakota and his medical education at the University of Colorado where he met Joyce. Then came Korea. Ben enlisted in the Army and served again as the medical officer for a tank batallion.
He then continued his post graduate training at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor at the School of Public Health. Ben did research in hypertension and cardiovascular disease and later joined the staff of U of M's Tecumseh Community Health Study. He went on to The University of Illinois School of Public health as a professor of epidemiology.
Ben married Lynne M. Haley in 1976 in Kalamazoo. He became Director for the Health Departments of Branch, St. Joseph and Lenawee Counties and completed his career with the State of Michigan Departments of Public Health and Environmental Quality.
Those he leaves bereft include Lynne, his wife of 42 years, his beloved children, Sybil and Eric, His niece Julie Beach-Mascia of Sanford, Florida and her children, Nissa Hopkins, her son Liam Hopkins and Nissa's cherished partner, Nalin Thakkar of Sanford, Florida and David Baxley and his wife Jennene and their children, Kara and Natalie of Sacramento, California.
Ben leaves nephew David Beach and his wife Tanya. David's children and grandchildren, Stephanie, Tracy and Wendy..and the children of the grandchildren and their spouses and their children:David, Jacob and Sarah Huss, Randy Power, Kassidy Graber, Bryan,Vivi, Jake, and Ginger Feigenbaum:
He was a private, quiet man who truly loved women, children and animals. He was eternally kind and a lover of nature and the outdoors He was a constant reader of history and philosophy. He wanted nothing fancy. There will be no funeral services. Ben is survived by his wife Lynne, her sister, Suzanne and his dog Ripley. He would wish his friends to remember him at his best, to treat each other with respect and kindness and to make contributions to the Fund for Marshall at the Marshall Community Foundation if so inclined.