Obituary for Robert Johnston

Robert Neil Johnston, born August 23, 1926 in De Moines, Iowa, left this world on December 17, 2013 in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He was 87. Graveside Service will be held 1:00 PM Saturday December 21, 2013 at Fairland Cemetery in Fairland, Oklahoma.

Robert was born August 23, 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa to George W. and Helen Beatrice Rentfrew Johnston. Bob lived in Iowa as a young child before moving to Oklahoma. His father worked in the oil fields and they moved often, making it hard to call one town his home.

Growing up, he enjoyed tennis and band, playing the drums. He worked in grocery stores, had a paper route, and worked in shoe stores growing up as a way to make extra money.

After graduating high school, Robert joined the Air Force and worked as a mechanic. He also played in the Air Force band, playing the drums.

After the Air Force, he started going to Oklahoma State University, receiving a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He married Wanda Johnston in Stillwater while going to college. Wanda graduated in 1951 from the last class of Oklahoma A&M and Bob graduated in 1952 with the first graduating class at Oklahoma State University.

While at OSU, Bob played the bass drum for the OSU marching band with the showmanship of swinging and twirling the bass drum stick entertaining audiences. He also played all of the different drums for the OSU concert band and orchestra.

After graduation, he started working at Conoco Oil Company and stayed with them until he retired. He worked in the Payroll Deptartment and he would print out and sign every person’s check as a payroll clerk. In part of his last year at Conoco, he was chosen as one of the people on the team to roll out the new computerised payroll system and spent many days and nights working out the kinks in this new system.

Bob also kept the accounting books for the Opportunity Center as a volunteer where Wanda worked for many years. He also enjoyed singing and was a part of the church choir. He was an usher for the First Methodist Church. During the summer, he was part of the Ponca City Community Summer Band that played in parks; playing the bass drum and entertaining the audience once again with his swinging bass drum stick.

He is survived by his wife and daughter Phyllis Dianne Dickerson of Castle Rock, Colorado and three grandchildren; Melissa Moore and husband Sam of Perkins; Amy Grote and husband Chad of Denver, Colorado; and Sarah London and husband Bret of Perkins, Oklahoma; Great-Grandchildren; Caleb Oliver, Cody Oliver and wife Jenny of Stillwater, Oklahoma; Sterling London, Stetson London, and Sage London; and one Great Great Grandchild, Ellison Oliver.

Source: Trout Funeral Home