Milton Charles Johanson was born on July 22, 1924 on a farm outside of Fredericksburg, Texas. He was the youngest of nine children born to Grace Striegler Johanson Stucke & Charles Carl Johanson. There were six boys and three girls. They lived approximately five miles from his grandfather Striegler, who lived in the Rocky Hill community outside of Fredericksburg. Their house had been built to protect from the Indians with walls at least 20 inches thick.
Milt was 16 yrs old when he graduated from Brady High School. In 1943, Milt volunteered for the service, specifically for the Air Force and received training as a military policeman. Milt was shipped to India for 9 months before moving onto China. Milt's unit was moved to Shanghai, being the first active unit to serve as military police there and was in Shanghai when Chiang Kai-shek surrendered.
Milton was sent home from China in May 1946 and was honorably discharged on June 5, 1946. He had attained the rank of Sergeant in the Air Force, serving with the Base Service Squadron 381st Air Service Group. After being discharged, Milton made use of his GI Bill to go to San Marcos State graduating in 1952 with a BBA degree - focused on math and accounting. He went to work for Union Carbide in 1953, remaining there until his retirement in 1985. It was at Carbide that he met Jane Welch Rawson, and the two were married on May 16, 1958. Their daughter Jan was born in June 1959 and their son Daryl followed 18 months later in November 1960. A bonus to Milt was Jane's two sons - Ron and Tom - whom he adopted. Milt and Jane later divorced but Milt was lucky to find love again in his life. He and Virginia Aguilar Gonzalez were married in May 2001, and made their home in Dallas, Texas, until his passing on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 just 4 days shy of his 94th birthday. They remained steadfast in their Christian faith and attended Valwood Baptist Church in Farmer’s Branch.
Milton’s hobbies and interests included bowling, boxing, golf, gardening, Little League Baseball coaching, sports (Oilers, Astros, Rangers, Cowboys). He taught English to Spanish-speaking children in Dickinson, Texas. He was a deacon in the First Baptist Church of Dickinson for many years and was on the supervisory committee of Carbide Credit Union. He was active at the Farmer’s Branch Senior Center and a prize-winning domino champ there.
Milton was preceded in death by his mother, Grace Striegler Johanson Stucke and father, Charles Carl Johanson; 8 siblings, Leslie, Clayton, Raymond, Ola Mae, Mary, Herbert, Nettie and Allen; and son, Ronald E. Johanson. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Aguilar Johanson, sons, Tom (Yvonne) and Daryl Johanson, 1 daughter, Jan (Mike) Bailey; 7 grandchildren Telisa, J, Jacob and DeWayne Johanson, Josh Hudnall, Christine Aguilar and Rachel Swasey; 12 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Saturday, July 21st from 4 to 6 p.m. and a funeral service will be Sunday, July 23rd at 2 p.m. Both are at Sparkman Funeral Home on 1029 S. Greenville Ave in Richardson, Texas. Burial with military honors service will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Texas on Monday, July 23rd at 10 a.m.
Milton had many words of wisdom to share throughout the years. The most important to him seemed to be that we should all honor God and our parents, maintaining respect for them, for the past, and to be respectful in everything that we do. Honor what you have - be thankful for all you have for there are many who have nothing compared to us. He said that going to other places in the world taught him what life is and how good we have it. People need to figure out who they are - but don't be a bum! Make yourself into someone that YOU can be proud of. If you will honor God, your parents and families, be respectful and thankful, you will find that you can be proud of yourself, and others will be proud of you as well.
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