Charles E Johnson

Funeral Services for Charles E. Johnson will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege, Nebraska with Pastor Murray Jones officiating.  Interment will be held at the Prairie Home Cemetery at Holdrege with Military Honors provided by the Martin-Horn American Legion Post #66 of Holdrege, in conjunction with the United States Navy Honor Team.

Charles Edward Johnson, 89 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at the Holdrege Memorial Homes.  Charles Edward Johnson was born on a farm northeast of Holdrege on November 7, 1925, the son of Roy B. and Jennie (Hallgren) Johnson.  He was a grandson of Frank Hallgren, one of the earliest Phelps County pioneers.  He received his early religious training in the Swedish Evangelical Free Church, for which his Grandfather Hallgren was a founding board member.  He was a member of the Junior Legion Drum and Bugle Corps in 1941.  He graduated from Holdrege High School with the class of 1943 and worked on construction of the Atlanta Prisoner of War Camp that summer.  Mr. Johnson was a World War II Navy veteran, having served on board the U.S.S. Yosemite in the Pacific Theater and in Japan for six months after the war's end.  He received an honorable discharge from the Navy on April 11, 1946, having attained a rank of Machinist Mate Second Class.

Mr. Johnson attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working summers for the Bureau of Reclamation in southwest Nebraska as an Engineering Aide.  He graduated from the University in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.  Upon graduation, he returned to the Bureau in Indianola, and McCook, Nebraska, working on design and layout of irrigation systems along the Republican River.

On September 12, 1954, he was united in marriage in Cambridge, Nebraska, to D. Lourie Stay of Danbury, Nebraska.  Their home was blessed with three children:  James Gilbert, Janis Cae, and Jeanne Lourie.

In late 1954, the family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where Mr. Johnson took a position in the design branch of the Omaha District, Corps of Engineers.  He worked on the design of the large dams on the Missouri River, most notably Oahe and Big Bend Dams.

In 1964, his engineering career took a varying and challenging course, leading to several projects precipitated by the Cold War and for which he held a Top Secret Security Clearance.  He was appointed as Deputy Test Group Director for a nuclear experiment at the Nevada Test Site to test the survivability of deeply buried underground structures.  This project was completed in 1968.  During this time, the family lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the headquarters of the Department of Defense Test Command were located.  He then transferred to Huntsville, Alabama, for a short tour of duty working on the first Anti-Ballistic Missile System until it's cancellation in 1969.

He returned to the Omaha District and was assigned as on-site design engineer for an expansion of the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain complex near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  This work was completed in 1973.  For the remainder of the 1970s, he served in the Corps of Engineers-Missouri River Division as Program Manager for all design and construction projects on all Army installations in 13 upper Midwest states.

In 1981, Mr. Johnson accepted a position as Chief, Construction Planning Branch, in the Corps of Engineers Missile Construction Office at Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, California.  This activity was concerned with sighting, costs, and environmental impact statements for MX (later Peacekeeper) missile facilities.  He retired from this position in 1987 with 40 years of Federal service.

In 1988, he served as an alternate delegate to the Republican State Convention in Lincoln and the Republican National Convention in New Orleans.

In 1989, Mr. Johnson returned to work with the State of Nebraska, Department of Environmental Quality in Lincoln.  He served as the Staff Engineer on review of the license application for the Low Level Radioactive Waste Facility.  He remained in that position full time until 1994 and part time for several years thereafter.  After this retirement, he returned to reside at his home in Holdrege.

Mr. Johnson was a registered Professional Engineer in Nebraska.  His affiliations included the following:  life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers; life member Society of American Military Engineers; American Legion Post No. 66; Masonic Lodge No. 146; National Association of Retired Federal Employees, the U.S.S. Yosemite Association, and the National Rifle Association.

Those left to cherish his memory include:  son, James (Cheryl) Johnson of Omaha; daughters:  Janis (Wayne) Johnson of Clay Center and Jeanne (Johnson) Zebert of Holdrege; six grandchildren:  Jeremiah (Monica) Johnson, Nathan (Andrea) Johnson, Joseph (Madalyn) Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Adam (Zebert) Johnson, and Krista Johnson; one great-granddaughter, Katelyn Laura Johnson; six step-grandchildren and nine step great-grandchildren; brother Roger Johnson of Anderson, South Carolina; brothers-in-law:  Doug Beman of Hastings, Nebraska, and Dale Farnstrom of Prineville, Oregon; sisters-in-law:  Babs Johnson of Rosenberg, Texas and Nilsa Stay of Baltimore, Maryland; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother in infancy; sister, Eileen Beman; brother, Lloyd Johnson; sister-in-law, Patricia Farnstrom; brother-in-law, Gilbert Stay; and his former wife and friend, Lourie Johnson.

Visitation will be held on Friday, August 21, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.

A memorial has been established in Charles' honor and kindly suggested to the Martin-Horn American Legion Post #66 in Holdrege.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.