Wilbur H. Johnson Jr.

Wilbur H. Johnson, Jr., beloved Dad, husband, uncle, teacher, and friend, of Brewster, MA, passed away last Tuesday after a valiant battle with Alzheimer’s and, ultimately, COVID. “John” to family and friends, “Will” to his Coast Guard Auxiliary colleagues and others later in life, was known for his kindness, his humor, his infectious laugh, his storytelling, his unending optimism, and his deep love for his wife, Aline Johnson, daughter Vanessa Johnson-Hall, son-in-law Charles Hall, and his extended family.

Born and raised in Mansfield, MA (M.H.S. class of ‘54), John credits the Marine Corps with “setting him straight” after high school. After joining the Marine Corps Reserves in 1954, John graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1956. John served in the Marine Corps from 1957-1960. He met his wife, Aline, at his first teaching job in Monticello, NY. After getting married, John pursued a Master’s in Education from BU in the summers, which he was awarded in May 1970. After their daughter, Vanessa, was born, they moved to Cape Cod in 1972 to raise her near his parents, Mabel and Wilbur Johnson, and aunts Aletha and Pauline Johnson.

John was an extraordinary junior high science teacher, teaching at Lawrence Junior High in Falmouth for 33 years. He’d wow them in the classroom with demonstrations of how clouds form, how electricity happens, how mixing the right chemicals together can create entirely new substances and worlds. His hands-on, experiential teaching style inspired new scientists. Students would return years later to thank him for launching their scientific careers. His love for the natural world inspired his daughter to pursue a career in land conservation.

After retiring, he continued volunteering with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, included teaching weather and boating safety classes. He followed one of his dreams to become a licensed pilot, and flew Auxiliary missions over the Cape.

Largely self-taught in all of his outdoor skills, John’s love for the natural world was shared with his family through skiing, hunting with family in Maine, hiking the White Mountains, Acadia National Park, and exploring the country’s other national parks and wilderness areas.

Donations can be made in Wilbur Johnson’s honor to the Brewster Conservation Trust https://brewsterconservationtrust.org/support-bct/ or the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod https://givebutter.com/alzheimers-family-caregivers-support-center-inc .