Obituary of Paul Elmore Johnson

Melbourne, FL — Paul Elmore Johnson, 84, died Friday, June 16, 2017 at Holmes Regional Medical Center. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he was proud of having resided in ten states (CA, FL, IL, MD, MN, MO, OK, PA, TX, WI), Stuttgart, Germany, the Panama Canal Zone, Rep. of Panama, and Puerto Rico. He and his brother Claude Johnson, who predeceased him, were the only children of Willard Rudolph Johnson and Julia Jeannette Elmore. A direct descendent of the Mayflower crew, Mr. Johnson is survived by his six children: John Johnson, Tom Johnson, Holly Johnson, Gary Johnson, Claudia Pastorius, and Linda Johnson; eight grandchildren: Justin Johnson, Amanda Rucker, Drew and Zack Johnson, Hannah Pastorius, Julien, James, and Ashton Diaz Johnson; and many other relatives and close friends. He was first married to Doris Yvonne Pry, then later had a second marriage to Gladys Estela Aviles. After graduating from South Shore High School, Mr. Johnson earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He also attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, conducting graduate work in Operations Research. Most recently, at the age of 82, he took online classes on Coursera.org, exploring his avid interest in Neuroscience and successfully completing a Johns Hopkins University course in Statistical Analysis of fMRI Data, after which he was invited to become a teaching assistant. He encouraged higher education at all ages, believing that we should “Each day study as if you will live forever and Live each day as if you will die tomorrow.” After serving in the U.S. Army as a Counter-Intelligence Corps Analyst, Mr. Johnson retired from a career in computer programming. His last significant job was in civilian defense with GE/RCA/CSR, providing support to the Air Force and going out to sea on the U.S.S. Observation Island to monitor Soviet missile development. During his work by the Bering Sea, Mr. Johnson visited Japan fifteen times, Adak, Alaska, and Hawaii. Mr. Johnson was extremely active and loved mountain backpacking. He climbed Mt. Fuji in Japan, Diamond Head in Hawaii, El Yunque in Puerto Rico, and extensively backpacked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He also enjoyed swimming, writing, chess, canoeing, billiards, duplicate bridge, travel, and martial arts. After years as a student in the Harbor City Judo & Jujitsu school, practicing Aikijujutsu and Jujitsu, Mr. Johnson earned his black belt at the age of 75 and became the oldest student in the U.S. to obtain this great accomplishment. He said that “Life can be enjoyable, if one participates.” A memorial service will be held in his honor at Ammen Family, 1001 S. Hickory Street, Melbourne, FL 32901, on Wednesday, June 21st, the viewing will be 2:00pm-4:00pm and the service at 4:00pm.