Obituary of Robert R. Johnson

Robert Richard Johnson of North Oriental Avenue, Bemus Point, died at his home at 8:40 p.m. on January 24, 2010. Robert was the second of 13 children born to Harry and Marguerite (ne Birdwall) Johnson. Known to all as Bob, he was born April 24, 1916 in Birdsong, PA and grew up in the oil belt of western Pennsylvania. Bob served in the US Army and Air Force, serving in the Philippines and New Guinea during World War II. He married his lifelong bride, Mabel M. Gobles, on June 1, 1942 in a small white church in Lafayette, Pennsylvania. Bob and Mable built their own house in what was then a "new" development outside Bemus Point, called Oriental Park. Bob not only built his own house from scratch, but also went on to build homes for many other people in our Chautauqua Lake region. Carpentry was Bob's second love; he could craft anything out of wood. His talent led him to create many wonderful props for plays and events at his home church, Fluvanna Community Church. Bob playfully called his stage events "terrific programs." Many boys and girls in the area will remember Bob as their Sunday school superintendent, or as the kind man who walked them between the Bemus Point Elementary School and classes at the nearby church. Bob worked most of his adult life at Marlin Rockwell Corporation as an inspector of high-precision ball bearings and rings used in the aerospace industry. He often worked two or three jobs at once to ensure the well being of his family. Adults in the area will remember Bob as a storyteller, inventor and magician. Bob could make matchsticks talk, crawl inside a bottle, and levitate off of a couch (with the help of two croquet mallets fitted with shoes and covered by a blanket). To Bob's grandchildren and great grandchildren "Grampa" was always a source of playful adventure. It was Grampa who built their stilts, designed their folk toys, and carved their wooden whistles from a willow branch. They love him dearly. Bob is survived by his wife, Mabel; five boys: Richard (Cheryl) of Maple Springs, Timothy of Cape Cod, John (Phyllis) of Maple Springs and twins Robert (Diane) of Tampa, FL and William (Barbara) of McMinnville, TN; 12 grandchildren Sonja, Jeremiah, Sarah, Charlotte, Kristin, Kyle, Daniel, Jessica, Jennifer, Jolene, Justin and Chloe and three great-granddaughters, Allison, Britta and Sydney; a brother Calvin (Kathryn) Johnson and a sister Marion (Richard) Freeman of Bethel Park, PA. Bob was preceded in death by a sixth child, Thomas, who lived but one year, two brothers Harry and Elmer Johnson and eight sisters June, Dorothy and Artis Johnson, Gloria James, Audrey Anthony, Wanda Linemen, Anna Neely and Janice Kutchey. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Fluvanna Community Church. Rev. Dayle F. Keefer will officiate. Burial will be in Fluvanna Cemetery. Friends will be received from 10:30-11 a.m. Saturday in the church. Memorials may be made to Fluvanna Community Church Building Fund, 3363 Fluvanna Ave, Ext, Jamestown, NY 14701 or Southwestern Independent Living Center, 843 N. Main St, Jamestown. Arrangements are by the Lind Funeral Home.