Mr John Martin Johnston

John Martin Johnston
Sept. 18, 2010

John Martin Johnston, 83, of La Jolla, CA, died September 18 of natural causes during a bout with cancer. He had lived in La Jolla off and on over a period of about 40 years. He was preceded in death by his first wife, the former Florence M. McGarry of East Orange, NJ; second wife, the former Carol Shipman of Asheville, NC; parents, John K. and Edith Mims Johnston of Greenville, SC; and older sister, Alice K. (Mrs. George M. Jr.) Faile of Dahlonega, GA .and by a grandson, Martin Crepeau Johnston of Colorado Springs, CO.

Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, John Kenneth and Cecelia Harvey Johnston, and grandson, Michael Martin Johnston, of Colorado Springs, CO and step-grandson, Bobby Magee Lopez, of Denver, CO. Also surviving are his three adopted children, Kathleen Johnston Tapley of Roseburg, OR, Michael Johnston of Lakewood, CA, and Sheila Johnston Smith of Ventura, CA. Further survivors include his two younger sisters, Sarah (Mrs. Robert P.) Allen of Greenville, SC, and Margaret M. Johnston of Athens, GA; as well as 10 nieces and nephews and 28 great-nieces and nephews

Johnston was born in Georgetown, SC, and grew up in St. George and Greenville, SC. He graduated from Clemson (SC) University with a major in electrical engineering, and he was a member of the Engineering Honor Society while an undergraduate there. His first employment after college was with RCA in Harrison, New Jersey. After serving as a Lt. J.G. in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he returned to RCA, working in the San Fernando Valley in California. He later worked as an electrical engineer with several other companies in California, including The Dillingham Corporation of Hawaii. He received his master’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in the early 1970s and became a consultant for a number of companies, designing hardware and software for computers. He was head of the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office when it was moved from Washington, D.C., to Gulfport, MS, in 1976, before returning to the La Jolla area to continue his consulting business.

He was a world traveler, working in different countries of the Middle East and Western Europe. He once reached the depth of 10,000 feet below the surface of the ocean in the Marianas Trench in a Jacque Cousteau bathescape submarine while testing underwater cameras much like those later used to discover the details of the sunken Titanic cruise ship.

Upon retiring, he moved to his native Eastern United States, living in Asheville for about 10 years. He then went back to the West, first living with his son in Colorado Springs and then settling again in La Jolla. John was very active in Asheville as a volunteer for the meals on wheels program and he helped revamp the local library computer network system. He also worked diligently as the treasurer for his homeowner’s association at Lake View Park. When he lived with his son in Colorado Springs, he joined the Gleneagle Sertoma Service Club and was an enthusiastic volunteer with their blood drive and boy scouts and assisted with the hearing impaired programs. One of his long term commitments was with a program to record technical text books for the blind.

One of my dad’s favorite routines was to walk to Scripps Beach or the Wind n Sea surf area in La Jolla to watch the sunset each evening. In his early days he was an accomplished scuba diver in these same waters. While living in La Jolla these last couple of years, he was busy with the local Mensa club and, as always, frequented the museums and international hospitality cottages at Balboa Park, one of his very favorite destinations. A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 25, 2010, at 5 pm at Pacific Beach Chapel, 4710 Cass St., Pacific Beach, 92109. Please sign the guest book online at www.legacy.com/obituaries/lajollalight.