JOSEPH F. JOHNSON, age 80, of Stuart, Florida died peacefully on Thursday, August 8, 2019. He was the beloved husband of Sally Schlechter Johnson. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island and moved to Florida in 1984 from Warwick, Rhode Island.
Joe served the Warwick Police Department from 1962-1983 as a Police Officer as well as the Detective and Juvenile Divisions. He was President of the Fraternal Order of Police and the proud Founder of the Warwick Police Athletic League (PAL). From 1983-1995, Joe became the first full-time National Executive Director of the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues and worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice. Among his many honors and achievements, he was named Police Officer of the Year by the Warwick Police Department as well as the State of Rhode Island. He served on the USA Baseball Board of Directors from 1984-1995 and the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors from 1986-1995 and was honored by several of the USOC National Governing Bodies as a leader in the field of youth sports.
Besides his loving wife, he is survived by three sons: Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. of Stuart, Florida; Richard Raymond Johnson of Port St. Lucie, Florida; Michael David Johnson of Jupiter, FL; step-daughter Elizabeth Ann Santoro of Lynnfield, Massachusetts; and his beautiful grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his honor may be made to either St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 623 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL 34994 https://stmarys-stuart.org/give-online; or Warwick Police Athletic League 80 Bend St, Warwick, RI 02889. Funeral services will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Saturday August 17th at 11:00am.
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