William Johnson

William Earl Johnson

February 1, 1922 ~ February 21, 2017

“Together Again”

William Earl Johnson was born on February 1, 1922, and passed away on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at the age of 95.  Married to Ruth Genelle Jensen Johnson in December 1942, during World War II, Bill and Ruth celebrated their 74th Wedding Anniversary on December 19, 2016.  Ruth passed away six days later, on Christmas morning, at the age of 94, just 57 days before her beloved spouse.  They were very much in love, as Bill grieved for the loss of his spouse all 57 days.

Bill was born in Provo, Utah to Joseph Earl Johnson and Edna Elizabeth Mildenhall.  He was the third of seven children, two brothers, and four sisters, and is survived by one sister, Belva (Huntsville), one sister-in-law, Colleen (Brigham City), and one brother-in-law, Richard (Lehi).  He was raised in Provo, Utah, spending the first twenty years in the same neighborhood, and old LDS Pioneer Ward.  However, his family was familiar with adversity, as they suffered nine evictions during the Great Depression of the 1930’s.  Notwithstanding, his family was strong and united, and their life improved when his father gained steady employment as an accountant at Geneva Steel before the war.

Bill graduated from Provo High, and met his eternal companion dancing on the tennis court with some girls from Brigham Young High.  Their first kiss was on the eve of Pearl Harbor.  Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, training to become a pilot, and was stationed in Camden Arkansas.  Ruth left her job in Provo, and came to visit, where they quickly decided to get married, right there in Camden, Arkansas on December 19, 1942.  They were sealed in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on August 30, 1943, during Bill’s first leave.

Ruth stayed close to Bill as he advanced in pilot training.  When he got to the larger planes, he could not land them due to a depth perception problem, and washed out.  Very tense and uncertain days followed, waiting for his new assignment.  The world was at war.  He ultimately was assigned to bombardier training, where, because of his previous training and good test skills, he aced every exam, and became the first instructor of a newly created bombardier flight school.  Many of his students were lost in the war, but he avoided combat assignment until August 1945, when the war ended before he saw combat.

Their first child, David (late Elsa) of Dallas, was born in July, 1944, during the war, and their second child, Stephen (Tracy) of Ogden, was born in November 1946.  Bill graduated from Brigham Young University in 1947, and received a master’s degree in accounting from Northwestern in 1948.  He worked for the Internal Revenue Service for two years in Chicago, before transferring to Ogden, Utah, where he worked two more years for the IRS, closing five significant tax evasion cases, four of them serving prison time.  One defendant had a heart attack and died in the federal court room in Salt Lake City.  A local CPA firm, Jones and Atwood recognized his talents and hired him in December 1952, beginning his 33 years as a CPA in Ogden Utah.  He was especially skilled at representing clients against the IRS, and in municipal accounting.

During those 33 years, he became the President of the Utah Association of CPA’s, Chairman of the Utah State Board of Accountancy, owned his own practice for most of those years with many faithful and appreciative employees, including his second son, Stephen, who purchased the practice in 1986.  He also served as the President of Hospice of Northern Utah, Chairman of the Board Weber County Hospital, Treasure of the Lake Bonneville Council Boy Scouts of America, earning the Silver Beaver Award, Chairman of both Heart and Cancer Drives, Treasurer and Director of United Way of Northern Utah, and two terms as President of the Sons of Utah Pioneers (Northern Chapter), plus two terms as Treasurer of SUP.  The assignment he may have enjoyed most was Bishop of the Weber State College 4th Ward.  His church assignments continued when he and Ruth served three full time missions to Nauvoo, the Philippines, and Temple Square.  He served as a Sealer in the Manila and Ogden Temples.

During the preceding years, Bill and Ruth were blessed with four additional children plus the two already mentioned, David (late Elsa) of Dallas, Stephan (Tracy) of Ogden, Christine (late Christopher) of Huntsville, Thomas (Stephanie) of Cottonwood Heights, Benjamin (Lori) of Ogden, and Rebecca (Michael) of South Weber.  Bill and Ruth have 35 grandchildren, and 46 great-grandchildren.

The family appreciates, and became close friends, with the staff and hospice at Mountain Ridge Assisted Living, who Bill thanked for taking care of him and Ruth, on his last day.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 27, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Highland Ward, 1314 East 27th St., Ogden, UT.  Friends may visit with family on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. and Monday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the church.  Interment, Ogden City Cemetery.