Obituary: Norman "The General" Johnson
Norman "The General" Johnson passed away on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. He was born January 3, 1933 in Norwood, MA, the only child of Arthur and Lillian (Logan) Johnson and spent his early years in Westwood. Because of a bout with rheumatic fever as a child, he was unable to participate in school sports and turned his interest to the high school dramatics club, co-starring in many plays.
Norman graduated from Bentley College in 1952 and was hired by Eastman Kodak Co. of Rochester, NY as a junior accountant. He left that job the next year to join the U.S Air Force as a statistical specialist, serving in that capacity at Headquarters 20TH Air Force in Okinawa and Headquarters AACS in Washington D.C. In 1953 he married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Tolman.
Upon his discharge in 1957, he joined the family restaurant business in Norwood. In 1959 he purchased Marshall Ice Cream in Groton, renaming the restaurant "JOHNSON'S". Over the next 26 years Norman actively managed the business, giving employment opportunities to more than 500 area teens. A stern taskmaster, "Mr. J", also affectionately called 'The General", tried to teach them to be prompt, courteous, neat in appearance, and not to be afraid of hard work. The General was happiest when his young charges succeeded in their life pursuits.
While working a full schedule, he found time to serve the town as a registrar of voters, a two-term, elected member of the Groton School Committee, the GDRSC, and filled a vacancy on the NVRHS building committee. He was a director of the Nashoba Credit Union for many years.
The General was an ardent supporter of youth activities, including the annual UNICEF fund drive Halloween party, summer league basketball, fourth grade basketball aide, and co-founder and worker on the Senior Bash for 11 years. His restaurant supported the Groton Police Association and he was an associate member of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.
Every Christmas his restaurant and staff hosted a holiday party for the Groton Highway and Light departments. After retiring from the restaurant business (Johnson's thrives today under the ownership of the Santiano family), he partnered to form Village Homes and built many area homes. The General loved a practical joke and was often the recipient of the same. He loved to entertain and he and his wife Ruth hosted many a party.
He leaves his wife, Ruth; four children: Norman Jr. and his friend Diane of Delray Beach, FL; Bruce and his wife, Dorothy of Woodburn, OR; Jeffery and his wife, Susan of West Linn, OR, and Nancy Henn and her friend, Bill of Groton; three grandsons, Chad and Kyle Johnson and Walter Henn.
He owes much of his success to former Johnson employees and two business partners, Barry Cunningham of Groton and David Rodgers of Lunenburg. Mr. Johnson was a member of Tahattawan Lodge AF&AM of Littleton, and a Shriner with Aleppo Temple in Boston. Inturnment with military honors was at the South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, FL. Lorne and Sons Funeral Home, Delray Beach, FL in charge of arrangements. www.LorneandSons.com
