Once called "Dr. Johnson" because of the advice he administered across the bar at Sherwood Inn — the establishment his family has owned since 1875 — Errol Paul Johnson II died Thursday at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Hodgenville. He was 89.
Johnson had suffered from severe dementia for the last two years, and his family recently learned he had terminal lung and liver cancer, his daughter, Annie Fox, Harlan, said.
"If Dad could have chosen a time to pass, it would have been Fourth of July weekend," Fox said of her patriotic father, who used to regularly place flags on the graves of veterans.
A veteran himself, Johnson was a second lieutenant in World War II, during which he was captured by the Germans and held prisoner. During a forced 150-kilometer march in below-freezing weather with a foot of snow on the ground, his hands and feet were frostbitten, which bothered him the rest of his life. But Johnson never complained, his daughter said.
"Dad was always a very positive man," she said. "He was very optimistic."
In fact, he was one of the founders of the New Haven Optimist Club.
Johnson was the last surviving World War II POW from Nelson County, his wife, Cecilia Johnson, said. She is proud of his service to his country and to New Haven, where he was mayor in the 1950s, a member of the draft and planning and zoning boards, and former fire chief. Johnson was honored by the National Beverage Journal for his outstanding legacy in the beverage industry. He was also a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church and an avid Notre Dame fan.
A pavilion at the Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, was dedicated in his honor. It houses a "40 and 8" boxcar, which France gave to all U.S. states in recognition of America's assistance during World War II. The boxcars could hold 40 men or eight horses and were used extensively during the war, Fox said.
After the war, Johnson returned to New Haven, where he was born and raised, and resumed working at the family business, Sherwood Inn. He married in 1945, and he and his wife had six children: Fox, Mark Johnson, Mike Johnson, Kenny Johnson, Dennis Johnson and Betty Errol Conkling.
Errol and Cecilia Johnson celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary June 30. Cecilia Johnson said the longevity of her marriage says a great deal about the type of man her husband was.
"We had a few fights, but not too many," she said.
Errol Johnson looked out for others sometimes more than himself, Fox said. He befriended people of all generations; they wanted his respect and respected his opinion, Fox said.
Her father always carded the young men and women who came to Sherwood Inn, Fox said, and it became a rite of passage for New Haven residents to have Johnson serve them their first legal alcoholic drink when they turned 21.
The entire community will miss him, not just those who frequented Sherwood Inn, New Haven Mayor Tessie Cecil said. Cecil said Johnson was her friend and a leader she admired.
"I can't say enough about him," she said. "He was a wonderful mentor to me."
The town won't be the same without him, she said. He was well-schooled in New Haven history and taught his children to take part in their community.
"They're just part of this town," Cecil said of the Johnsons.
By Stephanie Hornback
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Errol Paul Johnson II, 89, New Haven, died Thursday, July 2, 2009, at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Hodgenville.
He was born Nov. 19, 1919, in New Haven to the late Patrick Dean and Rose Ellen Roberts Johnson. He was a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church, New Haven. He was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in World War II and a prisoner of war. He was owner and manager of Sherwood Inn with his wife for many years, former mayor of New Haven and fire chief.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Patrick Dean "P.D." Johnson and Clarence Johnson; and a sister, Ann Johnson Dawson.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Cecilia Marie Boone Johnson, New Haven; four sons, Mark Johnson and Mike Johnson, New Haven, Kenny Johnson, Bardstown, and Dennis Johnson, Lexington; two daughters, Betty Errol Conkling, Louisville, and Mary Ann "Annie" Fox, Harlan; his twin sister, Betty Dorsey, Loretto Mother House, Nerinx; 20 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The Mass of Christian burial is 11 a.m. Monday at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church with the reverends Mark Keene, Mark Hamilton, Mike Tobin and Ken Fortner officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with full military rites.
Visitation is 2-8 p.m. today at William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel; and 9 a.m. until time of service Monday.
Donations may be made to Sunrise Manor Nursing Home in memory of Errol Johnson, 80 Phillips Lane, Hodgenville, KY 42748; or St. Catherine School Fund, 413 First St., New Haven, KY 40051.
William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, was in charge of arrangements.
From The KY Standard 7/3/2009 * Bardstown, Nelson, KY
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Courier Journal - 7/4/2009
New Haven - Errol P. Johnson II, 89, died Thursday, July 2, 2009. Funeral: 11 a.m. Monday, St. Catherine Catholic Church Visitation: 2-8 Sunday, William R. Rust Funeral Home.
Johnson had suffered from severe dementia for the last two years, and his family recently learned he had terminal lung and liver cancer, his daughter, Annie Fox, Harlan, said.
"If Dad could have chosen a time to pass, it would have been Fourth of July weekend," Fox said of her patriotic father, who used to regularly place flags on the graves of veterans.
A veteran himself, Johnson was a second lieutenant in World War II, during which he was captured by the Germans and held prisoner. During a forced 150-kilometer march in below-freezing weather with a foot of snow on the ground, his hands and feet were frostbitten, which bothered him the rest of his life. But Johnson never complained, his daughter said.
"Dad was always a very positive man," she said. "He was very optimistic."
In fact, he was one of the founders of the New Haven Optimist Club.
Johnson was the last surviving World War II POW from Nelson County, his wife, Cecilia Johnson, said. She is proud of his service to his country and to New Haven, where he was mayor in the 1950s, a member of the draft and planning and zoning boards, and former fire chief. Johnson was honored by the National Beverage Journal for his outstanding legacy in the beverage industry. He was also a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church and an avid Notre Dame fan.
A pavilion at the Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, was dedicated in his honor. It houses a "40 and 8" boxcar, which France gave to all U.S. states in recognition of America's assistance during World War II. The boxcars could hold 40 men or eight horses and were used extensively during the war, Fox said.
After the war, Johnson returned to New Haven, where he was born and raised, and resumed working at the family business, Sherwood Inn. He married in 1945, and he and his wife had six children: Fox, Mark Johnson, Mike Johnson, Kenny Johnson, Dennis Johnson and Betty Errol Conkling.
Errol and Cecilia Johnson celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary June 30. Cecilia Johnson said the longevity of her marriage says a great deal about the type of man her husband was.
"We had a few fights, but not too many," she said.
Errol Johnson looked out for others sometimes more than himself, Fox said. He befriended people of all generations; they wanted his respect and respected his opinion, Fox said.
Her father always carded the young men and women who came to Sherwood Inn, Fox said, and it became a rite of passage for New Haven residents to have Johnson serve them their first legal alcoholic drink when they turned 21.
The entire community will miss him, not just those who frequented Sherwood Inn, New Haven Mayor Tessie Cecil said. Cecil said Johnson was her friend and a leader she admired.
"I can't say enough about him," she said. "He was a wonderful mentor to me."
The town won't be the same without him, she said. He was well-schooled in New Haven history and taught his children to take part in their community.
"They're just part of this town," Cecil said of the Johnsons.
By Stephanie Hornback
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Errol Paul Johnson II, 89, New Haven, died Thursday, July 2, 2009, at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Hodgenville.
He was born Nov. 19, 1919, in New Haven to the late Patrick Dean and Rose Ellen Roberts Johnson. He was a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church, New Haven. He was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in World War II and a prisoner of war. He was owner and manager of Sherwood Inn with his wife for many years, former mayor of New Haven and fire chief.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Patrick Dean "P.D." Johnson and Clarence Johnson; and a sister, Ann Johnson Dawson.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Cecilia Marie Boone Johnson, New Haven; four sons, Mark Johnson and Mike Johnson, New Haven, Kenny Johnson, Bardstown, and Dennis Johnson, Lexington; two daughters, Betty Errol Conkling, Louisville, and Mary Ann "Annie" Fox, Harlan; his twin sister, Betty Dorsey, Loretto Mother House, Nerinx; 20 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The Mass of Christian burial is 11 a.m. Monday at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church with the reverends Mark Keene, Mark Hamilton, Mike Tobin and Ken Fortner officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with full military rites.
Visitation is 2-8 p.m. today at William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel; and 9 a.m. until time of service Monday.
Donations may be made to Sunrise Manor Nursing Home in memory of Errol Johnson, 80 Phillips Lane, Hodgenville, KY 42748; or St. Catherine School Fund, 413 First St., New Haven, KY 40051.
William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, was in charge of arrangements.
From The KY Standard 7/3/2009 * Bardstown, Nelson, KY
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Courier Journal - 7/4/2009
New Haven - Errol P. Johnson II, 89, died Thursday, July 2, 2009. Funeral: 11 a.m. Monday, St. Catherine Catholic Church Visitation: 2-8 Sunday, William R. Rust Funeral Home.
Once called "Dr. Johnson" because of the advice he administered across the bar at Sherwood Inn — the establishment his family has owned since 1875 — Errol Paul Johnson II died Thursday at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Hodgenville. He was 89.
Johnson had suffered from severe dementia for the last two years, and his family recently learned he had terminal lung and liver cancer, his daughter, Annie Fox, Harlan, said.
"If Dad could have chosen a time to pass, it would have been Fourth of July weekend," Fox said of her patriotic father, who used to regularly place flags on the graves of veterans.
A veteran himself, Johnson was a second lieutenant in World War II, during which he was captured by the Germans and held prisoner. During a forced 150-kilometer march in below-freezing weather with a foot of snow on the ground, his hands and feet were frostbitten, which bothered him the rest of his life. But Johnson never complained, his daughter said.
"Dad was always a very positive man," she said. "He was very optimistic."
In fact, he was one of the founders of the New Haven Optimist Club.
Johnson was the last surviving World War II POW from Nelson County, his wife, Cecilia Johnson, said. She is proud of his service to his country and to New Haven, where he was mayor in the 1950s, a member of the draft and planning and zoning boards, and former fire chief. Johnson was honored by the National Beverage Journal for his outstanding legacy in the beverage industry. He was also a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church and an avid Notre Dame fan.
A pavilion at the Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, was dedicated in his honor. It houses a "40 and 8" boxcar, which France gave to all U.S. states in recognition of America's assistance during World War II. The boxcars could hold 40 men or eight horses and were used extensively during the war, Fox said.
After the war, Johnson returned to New Haven, where he was born and raised, and resumed working at the family business, Sherwood Inn. He married in 1945, and he and his wife had six children: Fox, Mark Johnson, Mike Johnson, Kenny Johnson, Dennis Johnson and Betty Errol Conkling.
Errol and Cecilia Johnson celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary June 30. Cecilia Johnson said the longevity of her marriage says a great deal about the type of man her husband was.
"We had a few fights, but not too many," she said.
Errol Johnson looked out for others sometimes more than himself, Fox said. He befriended people of all generations; they wanted his respect and respected his opinion, Fox said.
Her father always carded the young men and women who came to Sherwood Inn, Fox said, and it became a rite of passage for New Haven residents to have Johnson serve them their first legal alcoholic drink when they turned 21.
The entire community will miss him, not just those who frequented Sherwood Inn, New Haven Mayor Tessie Cecil said. Cecil said Johnson was her friend and a leader she admired.
"I can't say enough about him," she said. "He was a wonderful mentor to me."
The town won't be the same without him, she said. He was well-schooled in New Haven history and taught his children to take part in their community.
"They're just part of this town," Cecil said of the Johnsons.
By Stephanie Hornback
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Errol Paul Johnson II, 89, New Haven, died Thursday, July 2, 2009, at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Hodgenville.
He was born Nov. 19, 1919, in New Haven to the late Patrick Dean and Rose Ellen Roberts Johnson. He was a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church, New Haven. He was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in World War II and a prisoner of war. He was owner and manager of Sherwood Inn with his wife for many years, former mayor of New Haven and fire chief.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Patrick Dean "P.D." Johnson and Clarence Johnson; and a sister, Ann Johnson Dawson.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Cecilia Marie Boone Johnson, New Haven; four sons, Mark Johnson and Mike Johnson, New Haven, Kenny Johnson, Bardstown, and Dennis Johnson, Lexington; two daughters, Betty Errol Conkling, Louisville, and Mary Ann "Annie" Fox, Harlan; his twin sister, Betty Dorsey, Loretto Mother House, Nerinx; 20 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The Mass of Christian burial is 11 a.m. Monday at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church with the reverends Mark Keene, Mark Hamilton, Mike Tobin and Ken Fortner officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with full military rites.
Visitation is 2-8 p.m. today at William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel; and 9 a.m. until time of service Monday.
Donations may be made to Sunrise Manor Nursing Home in memory of Errol Johnson, 80 Phillips Lane, Hodgenville, KY 42748; or St. Catherine School Fund, 413 First St., New Haven, KY 40051.
William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, was in charge of arrangements.
From The KY Standard 7/3/2009 * Bardstown, Nelson, KY
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Courier Journal - 7/4/2009
New Haven - Errol P. Johnson II, 89, died Thursday, July 2, 2009. Funeral: 11 a.m. Monday, St. Catherine Catholic Church Visitation: 2-8 Sunday, William R. Rust Funeral Home.
Johnson had suffered from severe dementia for the last two years, and his family recently learned he had terminal lung and liver cancer, his daughter, Annie Fox, Harlan, said.
"If Dad could have chosen a time to pass, it would have been Fourth of July weekend," Fox said of her patriotic father, who used to regularly place flags on the graves of veterans.
A veteran himself, Johnson was a second lieutenant in World War II, during which he was captured by the Germans and held prisoner. During a forced 150-kilometer march in below-freezing weather with a foot of snow on the ground, his hands and feet were frostbitten, which bothered him the rest of his life. But Johnson never complained, his daughter said.
"Dad was always a very positive man," she said. "He was very optimistic."
In fact, he was one of the founders of the New Haven Optimist Club.
Johnson was the last surviving World War II POW from Nelson County, his wife, Cecilia Johnson, said. She is proud of his service to his country and to New Haven, where he was mayor in the 1950s, a member of the draft and planning and zoning boards, and former fire chief. Johnson was honored by the National Beverage Journal for his outstanding legacy in the beverage industry. He was also a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church and an avid Notre Dame fan.
A pavilion at the Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven, was dedicated in his honor. It houses a "40 and 8" boxcar, which France gave to all U.S. states in recognition of America's assistance during World War II. The boxcars could hold 40 men or eight horses and were used extensively during the war, Fox said.
After the war, Johnson returned to New Haven, where he was born and raised, and resumed working at the family business, Sherwood Inn. He married in 1945, and he and his wife had six children: Fox, Mark Johnson, Mike Johnson, Kenny Johnson, Dennis Johnson and Betty Errol Conkling.
Errol and Cecilia Johnson celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary June 30. Cecilia Johnson said the longevity of her marriage says a great deal about the type of man her husband was.
"We had a few fights, but not too many," she said.
Errol Johnson looked out for others sometimes more than himself, Fox said. He befriended people of all generations; they wanted his respect and respected his opinion, Fox said.
Her father always carded the young men and women who came to Sherwood Inn, Fox said, and it became a rite of passage for New Haven residents to have Johnson serve them their first legal alcoholic drink when they turned 21.
The entire community will miss him, not just those who frequented Sherwood Inn, New Haven Mayor Tessie Cecil said. Cecil said Johnson was her friend and a leader she admired.
"I can't say enough about him," she said. "He was a wonderful mentor to me."
The town won't be the same without him, she said. He was well-schooled in New Haven history and taught his children to take part in their community.
"They're just part of this town," Cecil said of the Johnsons.
By Stephanie Hornback
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Errol Paul Johnson II, 89, New Haven, died Thursday, July 2, 2009, at Sunrise Manor Nursing Home, Hodgenville.
He was born Nov. 19, 1919, in New Haven to the late Patrick Dean and Rose Ellen Roberts Johnson. He was a member of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church, New Haven. He was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in World War II and a prisoner of war. He was owner and manager of Sherwood Inn with his wife for many years, former mayor of New Haven and fire chief.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Patrick Dean "P.D." Johnson and Clarence Johnson; and a sister, Ann Johnson Dawson.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Cecilia Marie Boone Johnson, New Haven; four sons, Mark Johnson and Mike Johnson, New Haven, Kenny Johnson, Bardstown, and Dennis Johnson, Lexington; two daughters, Betty Errol Conkling, Louisville, and Mary Ann "Annie" Fox, Harlan; his twin sister, Betty Dorsey, Loretto Mother House, Nerinx; 20 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The Mass of Christian burial is 11 a.m. Monday at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church with the reverends Mark Keene, Mark Hamilton, Mike Tobin and Ken Fortner officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with full military rites.
Visitation is 2-8 p.m. today at William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel; and 9 a.m. until time of service Monday.
Donations may be made to Sunrise Manor Nursing Home in memory of Errol Johnson, 80 Phillips Lane, Hodgenville, KY 42748; or St. Catherine School Fund, 413 First St., New Haven, KY 40051.
William R. Rust Funeral Home, New Haven, was in charge of arrangements.
From The KY Standard 7/3/2009 * Bardstown, Nelson, KY
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Courier Journal - 7/4/2009
New Haven - Errol P. Johnson II, 89, died Thursday, July 2, 2009. Funeral: 11 a.m. Monday, St. Catherine Catholic Church Visitation: 2-8 Sunday, William R. Rust Funeral Home.
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