Obituary of Kenneth M. Johnson

Mr. Kenneth M. Johnson, age 81, of Niobe, NY passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. At the time of his passing, he was a resident of The Haven in Highland Creek in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ken was born on December 9, 1934 in Waterford, PA to the late Melvin and Geneva Johnson. He graduated from Panama Central School in 1952, attended Fenn College and then graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1961 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Ken served in the Army National Guard of New York in the early to mid 1960's and was Honorably Discharged in 1966. He met the love of his life, Betty Biddle, at R.I.T. and they were married on October 6, 1962. Ken worked for Delco Products and Saturn Corporation throughout his career in new product design for General Motors moving between Dayton, Ohio, Rochester, NY and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Once Ken retired in 1992, he and Betty hit the road in their RV and traveled extensively throughout the country meeting people all along the way. He never met a stranger and loved the comradery they encountered at RV parks all across the country. They spent their winters in Daytona Beach, Florida working at the Daytona Speedway and were die hard NASCAR fans. Ken also enjoyed deer hunting season at the family farm and never missed an opening day. He enjoyed visiting family and watching his grandchildren play sports and caught as many games as he could when location permitted. Besides his parents, Ken was predeceased by Betty, his wife of 49 years, his brothers, Carl and Harold, brother-in-law Everett King; and granddaughter, Shanon. Ken is survived by his sister, Eleanor King; sister-in-law Kate Johnson; son, Doug Johnson (Helene); daughter, Karen Clark (Perry), grandsons John and Michael; daughter, Lori Williams (Dan), grandsons Daniel, Sean, James, great grandchildren Damian, Camron, Alexis as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and in laws. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at The Haven in Highland Creek for their compassion and kindness throughout Ken's final year of battle with Alzheimer dementia. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 from 10:00 to 11:00am at Lind Funeral Home, 805 West Third Street, Jamestown, NY with a graveside service immediately following at Grant Cemetery, Niobe, NY. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in memory of Ken to the Alzheimer's Association or to Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (or local hospice facility of your choice).