“CALIFORNIA’S OLDEST RESIDENT AND LAST WORLD WAR I
VETERAN
PASSES ON”
PVT. GEORGE H.
JOHNSON [1894 - 2006]
September 1, 2006; Richmond, CA
-- George H. Johnson, California’s oldest documented resident and the
state’s last known surviving World War I veteran passed away on August 30th
at his longtime residence in Richmond after a brief illness. He was 112. Pvt. George Johnson served in World War I for a short period and
was in training for deployment overseas when the war ended in 1918. At the time of his death George was ranked
19th on the list of documented Supercentenarians around the
world.
George was born in Philadelphia, PA on May 1, 1894 into a
family with eight children. In his early youth homes had no electricity and
there were no automobiles. George’s
Father was of English and African descent and his mother was of Scandinavian
ancestry. His father worked in the railroad industry and was in charge of train
departure and arrival announcement at he main railroad station in
Philadelphia. During one visit to his
father’s office George met Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller. His mother
served as a nurse for the Red Cross throughout World War I. During his youth George enjoyed watching
baseball games through fence holes and recalls the city was heavily
industrialized and there were neighborhood grocery stores nearby. At the time George was drafted into the Army
in August of 1918, he was a newlywed working for the U.S Post Office. His military training was done at Camp
Green, NC and Fort Dix, NJ. The large
barracks where troops were housed had big potbellied stoves in the middle to
provide heat. He recalls serving with
the 14th Company of the 154th Battalion.
He was mustered out of the Army before the end of 1918.
After World War I George went back to work for the Post Office but soon was convinced by his wife Ida Delaney Johnson to move to California to follow her parents. George and Ida first settled in the Fresno area in 1919 and later moved to the San Francisco East Bay area around 1935. They purchased property in an unincorporated area near the then small city of Richmond. Over a period of time George and Ida built a beautiful three-story home during their spare time, which today has a commanding view of both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge. George and Ida had no children, and the home was their primary residence until each of their deaths. Neighborhood children frequently gathered there to be entertained by the Johnsons. During World War II George worked at the Kaiser shipyards outfitting cargo vessels. After the war he was employed at the Engineering Department of the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA for a long career. At the time of his retirement he was managing the heating plant at the hospital.
During a visit by the undersigned with George Johnson on the
occasion of his 111th birthday, George related an amazing adventure
story aboard an Argentine battleship just completed in a US Naval shipyard. It
appears George was inadvertently left aboard the newly completed battleship “Mariano
Moreno” while visiting the vessel on its day of departure. When discovered it was too late and
expensive to return to the dock so he ended up traveling on the vessel for
several weeks and was given various jobs on the crew before disembarking at a
naval base in southern Argentina. He
recalls a stop at the island of Barbados for a coal re-supply and the many
laborers transferring coal sacks from a barge to the battleship’s coal bins. During a severe storm a ships officer took him
atop one of the high lookouts and he was able to see the ships bow cutting
through large waves and the water splashing over the forward gun turrets. George was given some spending money to get
up to Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital and there spent considerable time at
the docks looking for a ride back to the United States. It took George about three years and various
round-trip voyages to England and back to Argentina as a cook’s assistant,
before he was able to get back to his hometown in Philadelphia via Boston.
Wartime shipping opportunities were quite limited. [Editor’s Note: The undersigned lived in Argentina for 14
years during his youth, and has verified that the Argentine government received
delivery of the Battleship “Mariano Moreno” in 1915 from the New
York/Philadelphia shipyards.]
George’s wife Ida passed away in 1992 and he continued to live on alone reasonably well. He lost his eyesight at age 106, but that was only a temporary setback in his ability to get along. He was so knowledgeable of his home’s layout that he would move around with his walker at leisure as long as things were left where he was familiar with them. Quite often he would prepare his own meals when his part time caregiver could not make them.
George enjoyed listening to baseball games until his last days
and was probably the San Francisco Giants oldest fan. George Johnson’s extended family includes his Great Grand Nephews
Brian and Rick Johnson, and Great Grand Nieces Karen Bitz and Cheryl Auble. A private memorial service will be held on
Thursday, September 7th in El Cerrito, CA. Memorial gifts may be sent to a local
hospice or Meals on Wheels organization.
Very truly yours,
Robert W. Johnson, Lt Col, USAF
(Ret), Adjutant
Department of California
Veterans of World War I of the USA
Tel/FAX: 310-675-8543
E-mail: robjo66@sbcglobal.net
Please limit your contacts to the above-signed between the working hours of [8:30 AM - 9 PM] PDT. Thank you.