LEE ROY JOHNSTON
(Dec 26, 1928 - May 2, 1996)
Lee Roy Johnston, 67, of Salem, OR, died Thursday, May 2, 1996. He was born in Douglas, AZ and raised in Casa Grande, AZ, where three of his younger brothers were born, then Short Creek, AZ, where youngest brother, Troy, was born, then Fredonia, AZ.
On April 7, 1930 Census for Casa Grande, Pinal, AZ, baby Lee Roy "LeRoy" and parents were living with Grandfather George Washington Johnston:
George Johnston 58 Head
A L Johnston 23 Son (Ice Deliveryman for Ice & Cold Storage Plant for 7 yrs.)
Myrtle Johnston 23 Daughter-in-Law
Leroy Johnston 1-3/12 yrs Grandson
On the April 29, 1940 Census for Short Creek, Mojave Co, AZ (where youngest brother, Troy, was born), the family was farming next to Myrt's brother, Dow H. Pointer's farm:
1935: Rural Pinal County, AZ
Myrtle Johnston 33 Wife
Arthur Johnston 31 Head
Le Roy Johnston 11 Son
Robert Johnston 9 Son
Billy Johnston 6 Son
Jerry Johnston 3 Son
On his 18th birthday in 1946, he registered for the draft in Fredonia, AZ. He was 5'5", 105 lbs., brown eyes, black hair, dark complexion, unemployed (Registrar: D.K. Judd). He signed his name "Le Roy Johnston", not Lee Roy.
His parents were married on February 24, 1928, Casa Grande, AZ; they had five sons together and decided to divorce in 1951 after Myrt joined Art in Germany with their sons for a visit. I was told that Lee Roy decided to stay with his father in Germany when Myrt returned home with his younger brothers, and it appears that he enlisted in the Army while in Germany.
He served in the military as 1st Sergeant with the U.S. Army in Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953), enlisting 26 Jun 1951 - released 25 Jun 1957. While he was serving in the Army in Tacoma, WA, he (age 27) married Ann (age 22, a native of Hays, KS) on September 3, 1955 in Silverton, OR (Ann's town of residence). Ann is the daughter of Anton and Anna (Zimmerman) Pfeifer.
He moved to Kansas, where he was a sheriff for about a year.
He and his family were "Page Pioneers", helping to birth "America's Last Frontier--Page, AZ, while Lee Roy worked on the Glen Canyon Dam construction site with his brothers. Three short years after his younger brother, Bob (& Bea), had the first twins born in Page (and the first twins known to be born alive in the Johnston Family) on Dec 22, 1958, Lee Roy and Ann had twin girls on Friday, 23 Mar 1962 (see attached news clipping).
Lee Roy's last move was to Salem, OR.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and enjoyed fishing and trading automobiles.
Survivors include his wife, Ann (Pfeifer) Johnston; sons, John and Kevin, both of Salem; daughters, Debbie and Pam, both of Salem, Julie Neal of Bend, Laura Brown of Sublimity, and Pat Bathke of Davenport, FL; brothers, Bob of Blue Mound, KS, William "Pete" of Fredonia, AZ, and Jerry of Kingman, AZ; Mother, Myrtle Palmer of Blue Mount, KS; and 14 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his father, Arthur Leroy Johnston, a year before and his youngest brother, Troy Elliott Johnston, just a month before his own death.
Lee Roy's father, Art Johnston, wrote in his 1978 autobiography about Art's father's "Johnston's Grocery" (mistakenly labeled by Casa Grande Historic Buildings as "Johnson's" Grocery Store), listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985:
"In 1920, two years after my mother died, we moved from Conde, South Dakota to 115 (now labeled 301 N, 259 ft. away) PICACHO STREET (corner E. 3rd St., near N. Florence St., "$30/month rental" on 1920 Census), Casa Grande, Arizona, where my widower father had a store. My father ran a so-called all-around store. In those days they didn't have any shopping centers, but that's what it was, in a small way. He handled everything from meat to groceries to hardware."
Art's father was robbed and murdered--beaten to death with a lead pipe and his pistol for $13 and his pistol, which had been hidden under his pillow (according to Art, informant on the death certificate, but nothing is mentioned about his pistol in newspaper accounts of the murder):
In Casa Grande, Arizona, in 1920, George ("G.W." to the world) purchased an all-around store on the southeast corner of N. Picacho Street and E. 3rd Street in 1920. This store included groceries as well as clothing and other dry goods. It was here on July 9, 1935, that he was attacked by two robbers and struck with a lead pipe (and maybe his own pistol, too). A gentleman coming in to make a purchase found him barely conscious in the back of the store; he summoned for help, and George was taken to the local hospital. Unfortunately, George was too critically injured (cerebral concussion) and died the next evening at 6:40 pm. What was supposed to be a simple robbery then became homicide. Eventually the two were caught, and the younger of the two assailants confessed. They were tried and convicted. The one who struck the blows received the gas chamber and the other life in prison, where he, too, died a few years later of complications after routine surgery in prison.
Military Information: 1SG, US ARMY
(Dec 26, 1928 - May 2, 1996)
Lee Roy Johnston, 67, of Salem, OR, died Thursday, May 2, 1996. He was born in Douglas, AZ and raised in Casa Grande, AZ, where three of his younger brothers were born, then Short Creek, AZ, where youngest brother, Troy, was born, then Fredonia, AZ.
On April 7, 1930 Census for Casa Grande, Pinal, AZ, baby Lee Roy "LeRoy" and parents were living with Grandfather George Washington Johnston:
George Johnston 58 Head
A L Johnston 23 Son (Ice Deliveryman for Ice & Cold Storage Plant for 7 yrs.)
Myrtle Johnston 23 Daughter-in-Law
Leroy Johnston 1-3/12 yrs Grandson
On the April 29, 1940 Census for Short Creek, Mojave Co, AZ (where youngest brother, Troy, was born), the family was farming next to Myrt's brother, Dow H. Pointer's farm:
1935: Rural Pinal County, AZ
Myrtle Johnston 33 Wife
Arthur Johnston 31 Head
Le Roy Johnston 11 Son
Robert Johnston 9 Son
Billy Johnston 6 Son
Jerry Johnston 3 Son
On his 18th birthday in 1946, he registered for the draft in Fredonia, AZ. He was 5'5", 105 lbs., brown eyes, black hair, dark complexion, unemployed (Registrar: D.K. Judd). He signed his name "Le Roy Johnston", not Lee Roy.
His parents were married on February 24, 1928, Casa Grande, AZ; they had five sons together and decided to divorce in 1951 after Myrt joined Art in Germany with their sons for a visit. I was told that Lee Roy decided to stay with his father in Germany when Myrt returned home with his younger brothers, and it appears that he enlisted in the Army while in Germany.
He served in the military as 1st Sergeant with the U.S. Army in Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953), enlisting 26 Jun 1951 - released 25 Jun 1957. While he was serving in the Army in Tacoma, WA, he (age 27) married Ann (age 22, a native of Hays, KS) on September 3, 1955 in Silverton, OR (Ann's town of residence). Ann is the daughter of Anton and Anna (Zimmerman) Pfeifer.
He moved to Kansas, where he was a sheriff for about a year.
He and his family were "Page Pioneers", helping to birth "America's Last Frontier--Page, AZ, while Lee Roy worked on the Glen Canyon Dam construction site with his brothers. Three short years after his younger brother, Bob (& Bea), had the first twins born in Page (and the first twins known to be born alive in the Johnston Family) on Dec 22, 1958, Lee Roy and Ann had twin girls on Friday, 23 Mar 1962 (see attached news clipping).
Lee Roy's last move was to Salem, OR.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and enjoyed fishing and trading automobiles.
Survivors include his wife, Ann (Pfeifer) Johnston; sons, John and Kevin, both of Salem; daughters, Debbie and Pam, both of Salem, Julie Neal of Bend, Laura Brown of Sublimity, and Pat Bathke of Davenport, FL; brothers, Bob of Blue Mound, KS, William "Pete" of Fredonia, AZ, and Jerry of Kingman, AZ; Mother, Myrtle Palmer of Blue Mount, KS; and 14 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his father, Arthur Leroy Johnston, a year before and his youngest brother, Troy Elliott Johnston, just a month before his own death.
Lee Roy's father, Art Johnston, wrote in his 1978 autobiography about Art's father's "Johnston's Grocery" (mistakenly labeled by Casa Grande Historic Buildings as "Johnson's" Grocery Store), listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985:
"In 1920, two years after my mother died, we moved from Conde, South Dakota to 115 (now labeled 301 N, 259 ft. away) PICACHO STREET (corner E. 3rd St., near N. Florence St., "$30/month rental" on 1920 Census), Casa Grande, Arizona, where my widower father had a store. My father ran a so-called all-around store. In those days they didn't have any shopping centers, but that's what it was, in a small way. He handled everything from meat to groceries to hardware."
Art's father was robbed and murdered--beaten to death with a lead pipe and his pistol for $13 and his pistol, which had been hidden under his pillow (according to Art, informant on the death certificate, but nothing is mentioned about his pistol in newspaper accounts of the murder):
In Casa Grande, Arizona, in 1920, George ("G.W." to the world) purchased an all-around store on the southeast corner of N. Picacho Street and E. 3rd Street in 1920. This store included groceries as well as clothing and other dry goods. It was here on July 9, 1935, that he was attacked by two robbers and struck with a lead pipe (and maybe his own pistol, too). A gentleman coming in to make a purchase found him barely conscious in the back of the store; he summoned for help, and George was taken to the local hospital. Unfortunately, George was too critically injured (cerebral concussion) and died the next evening at 6:40 pm. What was supposed to be a simple robbery then became homicide. Eventually the two were caught, and the younger of the two assailants confessed. They were tried and convicted. The one who struck the blows received the gas chamber and the other life in prison, where he, too, died a few years later of complications after routine surgery in prison.
Military Information: 1SG, US ARMY
LEE ROY JOHNSTON
(Dec 26, 1928 - May 2, 1996)
Lee Roy Johnston, 67, of Salem, OR, died Thursday, May 2, 1996. He was born in Douglas, AZ and raised in Casa Grande, AZ, where three of his younger brothers were born, then Short Creek, AZ, where youngest brother, Troy, was born, then Fredonia, AZ.
On April 7, 1930 Census for Casa Grande, Pinal, AZ, baby Lee Roy "LeRoy" and parents were living with Grandfather George Washington Johnston:
George Johnston 58 Head
A L Johnston 23 Son (Ice Deliveryman for Ice & Cold Storage Plant for 7 yrs.)
Myrtle Johnston 23 Daughter-in-Law
Leroy Johnston 1-3/12 yrs Grandson
On the April 29, 1940 Census for Short Creek, Mojave Co, AZ (where youngest brother, Troy, was born), the family was farming next to Myrt's brother, Dow H. Pointer's farm:
1935: Rural Pinal County, AZ
Myrtle Johnston 33 Wife
Arthur Johnston 31 Head
Le Roy Johnston 11 Son
Robert Johnston 9 Son
Billy Johnston 6 Son
Jerry Johnston 3 Son
On his 18th birthday in 1946, he registered for the draft in Fredonia, AZ. He was 5'5", 105 lbs., brown eyes, black hair, dark complexion, unemployed (Registrar: D.K. Judd). He signed his name "Le Roy Johnston", not Lee Roy.
His parents were married on February 24, 1928, Casa Grande, AZ; they had five sons together and decided to divorce in 1951 after Myrt joined Art in Germany with their sons for a visit. I was told that Lee Roy decided to stay with his father in Germany when Myrt returned home with his younger brothers, and it appears that he enlisted in the Army while in Germany.
He served in the military as 1st Sergeant with the U.S. Army in Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953), enlisting 26 Jun 1951 - released 25 Jun 1957. While he was serving in the Army in Tacoma, WA, he (age 27) married Ann (age 22, a native of Hays, KS) on September 3, 1955 in Silverton, OR (Ann's town of residence). Ann is the daughter of Anton and Anna (Zimmerman) Pfeifer.
He moved to Kansas, where he was a sheriff for about a year.
He and his family were "Page Pioneers", helping to birth "America's Last Frontier--Page, AZ, while Lee Roy worked on the Glen Canyon Dam construction site with his brothers. Three short years after his younger brother, Bob (& Bea), had the first twins born in Page (and the first twins known to be born alive in the Johnston Family) on Dec 22, 1958, Lee Roy and Ann had twin girls on Friday, 23 Mar 1962 (see attached news clipping).
Lee Roy's last move was to Salem, OR.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and enjoyed fishing and trading automobiles.
Survivors include his wife, Ann (Pfeifer) Johnston; sons, John and Kevin, both of Salem; daughters, Debbie and Pam, both of Salem, Julie Neal of Bend, Laura Brown of Sublimity, and Pat Bathke of Davenport, FL; brothers, Bob of Blue Mound, KS, William "Pete" of Fredonia, AZ, and Jerry of Kingman, AZ; Mother, Myrtle Palmer of Blue Mount, KS; and 14 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his father, Arthur Leroy Johnston, a year before and his youngest brother, Troy Elliott Johnston, just a month before his own death.
Lee Roy's father, Art Johnston, wrote in his 1978 autobiography about Art's father's "Johnston's Grocery" (mistakenly labeled by Casa Grande Historic Buildings as "Johnson's" Grocery Store), listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985:
"In 1920, two years after my mother died, we moved from Conde, South Dakota to 115 (now labeled 301 N, 259 ft. away) PICACHO STREET (corner E. 3rd St., near N. Florence St., "$30/month rental" on 1920 Census), Casa Grande, Arizona, where my widower father had a store. My father ran a so-called all-around store. In those days they didn't have any shopping centers, but that's what it was, in a small way. He handled everything from meat to groceries to hardware."
Art's father was robbed and murdered--beaten to death with a lead pipe and his pistol for $13 and his pistol, which had been hidden under his pillow (according to Art, informant on the death certificate, but nothing is mentioned about his pistol in newspaper accounts of the murder):
In Casa Grande, Arizona, in 1920, George ("G.W." to the world) purchased an all-around store on the southeast corner of N. Picacho Street and E. 3rd Street in 1920. This store included groceries as well as clothing and other dry goods. It was here on July 9, 1935, that he was attacked by two robbers and struck with a lead pipe (and maybe his own pistol, too). A gentleman coming in to make a purchase found him barely conscious in the back of the store; he summoned for help, and George was taken to the local hospital. Unfortunately, George was too critically injured (cerebral concussion) and died the next evening at 6:40 pm. What was supposed to be a simple robbery then became homicide. Eventually the two were caught, and the younger of the two assailants confessed. They were tried and convicted. The one who struck the blows received the gas chamber and the other life in prison, where he, too, died a few years later of complications after routine surgery in prison.
Military Information: 1SG, US ARMY
(Dec 26, 1928 - May 2, 1996)
Lee Roy Johnston, 67, of Salem, OR, died Thursday, May 2, 1996. He was born in Douglas, AZ and raised in Casa Grande, AZ, where three of his younger brothers were born, then Short Creek, AZ, where youngest brother, Troy, was born, then Fredonia, AZ.
On April 7, 1930 Census for Casa Grande, Pinal, AZ, baby Lee Roy "LeRoy" and parents were living with Grandfather George Washington Johnston:
George Johnston 58 Head
A L Johnston 23 Son (Ice Deliveryman for Ice & Cold Storage Plant for 7 yrs.)
Myrtle Johnston 23 Daughter-in-Law
Leroy Johnston 1-3/12 yrs Grandson
On the April 29, 1940 Census for Short Creek, Mojave Co, AZ (where youngest brother, Troy, was born), the family was farming next to Myrt's brother, Dow H. Pointer's farm:
1935: Rural Pinal County, AZ
Myrtle Johnston 33 Wife
Arthur Johnston 31 Head
Le Roy Johnston 11 Son
Robert Johnston 9 Son
Billy Johnston 6 Son
Jerry Johnston 3 Son
On his 18th birthday in 1946, he registered for the draft in Fredonia, AZ. He was 5'5", 105 lbs., brown eyes, black hair, dark complexion, unemployed (Registrar: D.K. Judd). He signed his name "Le Roy Johnston", not Lee Roy.
His parents were married on February 24, 1928, Casa Grande, AZ; they had five sons together and decided to divorce in 1951 after Myrt joined Art in Germany with their sons for a visit. I was told that Lee Roy decided to stay with his father in Germany when Myrt returned home with his younger brothers, and it appears that he enlisted in the Army while in Germany.
He served in the military as 1st Sergeant with the U.S. Army in Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953), enlisting 26 Jun 1951 - released 25 Jun 1957. While he was serving in the Army in Tacoma, WA, he (age 27) married Ann (age 22, a native of Hays, KS) on September 3, 1955 in Silverton, OR (Ann's town of residence). Ann is the daughter of Anton and Anna (Zimmerman) Pfeifer.
He moved to Kansas, where he was a sheriff for about a year.
He and his family were "Page Pioneers", helping to birth "America's Last Frontier--Page, AZ, while Lee Roy worked on the Glen Canyon Dam construction site with his brothers. Three short years after his younger brother, Bob (& Bea), had the first twins born in Page (and the first twins known to be born alive in the Johnston Family) on Dec 22, 1958, Lee Roy and Ann had twin girls on Friday, 23 Mar 1962 (see attached news clipping).
Lee Roy's last move was to Salem, OR.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and enjoyed fishing and trading automobiles.
Survivors include his wife, Ann (Pfeifer) Johnston; sons, John and Kevin, both of Salem; daughters, Debbie and Pam, both of Salem, Julie Neal of Bend, Laura Brown of Sublimity, and Pat Bathke of Davenport, FL; brothers, Bob of Blue Mound, KS, William "Pete" of Fredonia, AZ, and Jerry of Kingman, AZ; Mother, Myrtle Palmer of Blue Mount, KS; and 14 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his father, Arthur Leroy Johnston, a year before and his youngest brother, Troy Elliott Johnston, just a month before his own death.
Lee Roy's father, Art Johnston, wrote in his 1978 autobiography about Art's father's "Johnston's Grocery" (mistakenly labeled by Casa Grande Historic Buildings as "Johnson's" Grocery Store), listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985:
"In 1920, two years after my mother died, we moved from Conde, South Dakota to 115 (now labeled 301 N, 259 ft. away) PICACHO STREET (corner E. 3rd St., near N. Florence St., "$30/month rental" on 1920 Census), Casa Grande, Arizona, where my widower father had a store. My father ran a so-called all-around store. In those days they didn't have any shopping centers, but that's what it was, in a small way. He handled everything from meat to groceries to hardware."
Art's father was robbed and murdered--beaten to death with a lead pipe and his pistol for $13 and his pistol, which had been hidden under his pillow (according to Art, informant on the death certificate, but nothing is mentioned about his pistol in newspaper accounts of the murder):
In Casa Grande, Arizona, in 1920, George ("G.W." to the world) purchased an all-around store on the southeast corner of N. Picacho Street and E. 3rd Street in 1920. This store included groceries as well as clothing and other dry goods. It was here on July 9, 1935, that he was attacked by two robbers and struck with a lead pipe (and maybe his own pistol, too). A gentleman coming in to make a purchase found him barely conscious in the back of the store; he summoned for help, and George was taken to the local hospital. Unfortunately, George was too critically injured (cerebral concussion) and died the next evening at 6:40 pm. What was supposed to be a simple robbery then became homicide. Eventually the two were caught, and the younger of the two assailants confessed. They were tried and convicted. The one who struck the blows received the gas chamber and the other life in prison, where he, too, died a few years later of complications after routine surgery in prison.
Military Information: 1SG, US ARMY
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