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By: Stan Jordan
He was born in Payne, Ohio in 1925. His parents were Dale and Wanda Johnson. He was the only child.
He went to school in Payne and graduated there in 1943. He played sports while in high school, but he also worked at the Alfalfa Mill while he was in school because there was no help available because of the war. He and five other boys were excused from school to work at the mill.
He went into the army in 1943 to Keesler Field, MS in the air force, but they were short replacements in Europe so he was given 6 weeks infantry training and sent overseas to an infantry outfit.
He went over on the Queen Mary and landed in Scotland. They were only there one day and they were sent over to Le- Harv and was a replacement in the 79th Infantry Division.
After the war, he came back on the George Washington on May 1st, 1946 and landed in New York and he was discharged at Fort Harrison.
He started to work for his father at the Hi-Speed Station in Antwerp. On January 1st of 1947 he became a partner with his father in the business and they were there for 26 years.
In 1948 he married Barbara Halloch and they had two children, Lynne and Mike.
While in Germany he pitched a lot of softball for the battalion and the regiment. So he played a lot of softball here in the Antwerp diamond.
He coached the girls softball for many years. Rev. Bradford, John Taylor and he organized and coached little league football.
In 1957 Virgil Myers and he built the bowling alley, called Pin – a – Rama Lanes. This was a successfull business for 35 years and sold that business in 1992.
He and his father purchased the Oasis tavern and managed it and the HI-Speed Station at the same time. They sold the Oasis to Noah Slusher and Gene Hughes after 10 years.
In 1974 he married Peggy Hunt and they had two children, Jennifer and Bobby
Over the years Bob pulled 2 terms on the city council. He was also on the Paulding County school board for 8 years and for many years he was on the board of Paulding County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Bob has done lawn work for many years and for the last 8 years he has been the canteen manager at the VFW.
He went on the first Honor Flight to Washington D.C back in 2007 and he still talks about it. Bob has 4 grand children. Mike has one boy and Jennifer has 3 boys.
His hobbies are bowling, hunting, gardening, he never had time to travel but he does enjoy going to Las Vegas.
He enjoys playing a little poker once in a while. He is a die hard Green Bay Packers fan, a New York Yankees fan and 100% Ohio State backer.
Bob has been very active in Antwerp progress and history, he is just too busy to sit down.
I surely enjoyed doing this interview and now he has been picked as 2016 Gem of the year for Antwerp.
I sure agree with the committees’ selection.
Here are a few remarks from Mr. Johnson’s nominators:
“He is very community-minded, always gives back.” “He is one of the very few living WWII veterans and has turned the local VFW into a successful organization making sure they give back to the good of the community.” “He is a very community-minded man and one of the last WWII vets still living.” “You ask him to do something for our town or anyone and he is there.”
See ya!
