Eugene Francis Johnson

Gene was born September 30, 1930, in Springfield, Missouri, to Eugene Francis and Margaret Flanagan Johnson. He joined older sister Julianna Elizabeth to complete the family of four. Gene graduated from Springfield’s Greenwood High School in 1948 and from Drury College in 1952. Shortly after his college graduation, Gene reported to active duty in the Navy aboard the heavy cruiser USS Macon, which was assigned to the Atlantic fleet. Thus began a life-long passion for traveling the seas by large ships.

Gene left active service in 1954 and returned to his parents’ home in Springfield. One of the three young women living next door caught Gene’s eye. She was Carolyn Neas from Conway, Missouri, and she had just purchased a brand new red Customline Ford coupe. Gene asked Carolyn to go for a drive—in her car, of course. The young couple began dating and, slightly over a year later on April 28, 1956, they married. Within six years they had four children. Gene’s career in insurance and risk management moved them to St. Louis, Missouri; Woodridge, Illinois; and finally, Thousand Oaks, California. After their children married, Gene and Carolyn were blessed with twelve grandchildren—eleven girls and one boy.

Gene and Carolyn loved to travel throughout the USA as well as much of the world. Gene was particularly fond of sea cruises and planned trips that introduced cruising to his children and grandchildren. Gene also had a passion for researching family history and genealogy. He pursued this passion before the internet and DNA-testing made it a desk job. Gene often planned vacations to include visits to old churches and graveyards where he would gather needed information. He then converted his collected information into a series of volumes detailing family biographies and genealogy charts. In his retirement years, Gene honed his wood-crafting hobby skills. The pastor at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, Monsignor Peter O’Reilly, asked Gene to create several custom pieces to complement the church’s existing walnut altarpieces crafted by artist Sam Maloof. These projects—and many others—gave Gene hours of enjoyment in “Grandpa’s” workshop over nearly two decades.

Above all else, Gene was a family man. Throughout his career, Gene spent evenings and weekends with his family. The vacations he planned while his children were young led to their passion for travel adventures, and that passion has, in turn, been passed along to the grandchildren. Family events, holidays, summer afternoons and everyday evenings were well-celebrated by the Johnson clan. Our tradition of family time together will live long into the future.

Gene was preceded in death by his mother (Margaret), father (Gene Sr.), sister (Julianna Johnson Everett) and brother-in-law (Gene Everett, Jr.).

Gene is survived by Carolyn, his wife of 64 years. He is also survived by four children and their spouses: Cynthia (Jeff) Kemp of Thousand Oaks, Greg (Edie) Johnson of Thousand Oaks, Linda (Mike) Lynch of Moorpark, and Steve (Patty) Johnson of Colorado Springs, CO; by twelve grandchildren: Christina Kemp, Julia Kemp, Andrea Kemp, Christina (Jeremy) Samson, Melissa (Brett) Stark, Brianna Johnson, Liz Foster, Patrick Lynch, Meghan Lynch, Sara (Joe) Sampson, Laurel (Chris) Chase, Kelly Johnson; and by two great-granddaughters, Clara Chase and June Sampson.

Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2020, at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village, California. Interment at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Gene’s memory to Catholic Charities of Ventura County or to a charity of your choice.