peaceful passing at St Peters Hospital, Hamilton, on Wednesday, October
2, 2019 in his 93rd year. Devoted husband of the late Florence Johnston
(née Trevelyan) for 57 years. Dear father of Rebecca and Derrick
Thornborrow and Russell Johnston and Sara Posen. Proud grandfather of
Christopher (Anna), Nicholas (Lindsey), Courtney (Nick), and Hannah,
great-grandfather of Amy and Eric. Russell is survived by his sister
Barbara Shaw, and predeceased by his mother Helen Stewart (née
McDiarmid), sister Helen Jaffray, and brother Murray Johnston.
Born above a storefront near Barton and Sherman, Russell was a proud
Hamiltonian. As a youth, he was an active member of the Navy Cadets and
Chedoke Ski Patrol, fished in Red Hill Creek, swam at Burlington Beach
and Municipal (Jimmy Thompson) Pool, and cycled from Lake Ontario to
Lake Erie in search of adventure. His education at Delta High was cut
short in April 1945 when he lied about his age to join the army; the war
ended while he was stationed in Halifax awaiting reassignment to the
Pacific. Returning to civilian life, he eventually joined the Hamilton
Spectator as a compositor, where he retired in 1989.
Russell met Florence, the love of his life, in 1951; they married two
years later on Valentine’s Day. Together they built a home in Ryckman’s
Corners where they raised their children, hosted family and friends, and
remained active members of the community throughout their lives.
Although Florence was confined to a wheelchair after 1967, they remained
dedicated to their passions and public service. Together they attended
many concerts, plays, festivals, and exhibitions throughout the city. He
supported her many volunteer activities with Barton Stone UC,
Participation House, and the creation of Glanbrook Home Support, while
she supported his terms as a Wentworth School Board Trustee (1960s),
Glanbrook councillor (1980s), and member of the Hamilton Conservation
Authority (1980s). Together, they also travelled extensively across
Canada, the United States, Mexico, Great Britain, and the Caribbean. We
especially remember their wine and cheese parties, annual Grey Cup
parties, infamous dinners with the Spectator Gang (including the time
the picnic table caught fire), and their travels in Scotland and Barbados.
In retirement, Russell devoted himself to the Bolingbroke reconstruction
at the Canadian Warplane Heritage. He kept up with his life-long
hobbies: his garden filled with too many zucchini, too few tomatoes, and
over thirty trees (all of which he could recall distinctly), as well as
his barbecue, his books, his scotch, his futile attempts to keep
squirrels out of the bird feeder, and his opinions on politics (all
politics!).
Family, friends, neighbours, and fellow volunteers, past and present:
there are so many people who have touched our family and were an
important part of Russell’s life, and who will always be remembered. To
all of you, we extend a heartfelt thank you.
A funeral service will be held at Cresmount Funeral Home at 322 Fennel
Avenue East, Hamilton, on Friday 11 October. Visitation will take place
at 10:00 am and a memorial service will begin at 11:00 am. Interment
will follow at Mount Hamilton Cemetery, 260 Rymal Road East, Hamilton.
All family and friends are welcome to join the family at a luncheon
reception at 1:00 pm afterwards.
In lieu of flowers, please honour Russell’s memory with donations to
Glanbrook Community Services, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Bolingbroke
project, the Royal Botanical Gardens, or a charity of your choice.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cresmountfennellchapel.com for the Johnston family.
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