Thomas Sanford Johnston, Jr.

Thomas Sanford Johnston, Jr, age 86 of Perrysburg, Ohio, passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2019 at home comforted by his beloved wife Brigitte with his faithful dog Casper by his side. His family takes great comfort that Thomas stands in the presence of our Lord. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8 Thomas was born on May 13, 1933, in Creola, Vinton County, Ohio to Thomas Sanford Johnston, Sr. and Helen Elizabeth (Bobo) Johnston, proud descendants of the original Scotch-Irish Johnston homesteaders and pioneers of Vinton County. Young Tommy spent his summers up the road in New Plymouth on Ohio Route 93 at the Johnston farm helping his grandfather James Carney Johnston and his Uncle John Francis Johnston manage the farm. Although the farm has since changed owners, the house and barn built in 1900 on that property are still standing, with the barn designated as the Ohio Bicentennial Barn for Vinton County and is now a famous landmark. Tom was a graduated from McArthur High School in 1951 and attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he was a member of Company F, First Regiment of the Pershing Rifles Battalion before being drafted to the US Navy in 1952, serving as an aviation machinist first class at the Naval Air Station in Miramar CA during the Korean War. Tom was honorably discharged in 1956 and returned to Athens to complete his college education, where he was a graduated from Ohio University with a BA in Commerce in 1959. Tom married Brigitte Dora Galle on February 16, 1962 in Toledo, Ohio. They settled down in Perrysburg, Ohio to raise their two children where Tom worked at Chrysler Toledo Machining, retiring in 2000. Always energetic and enjoying good health after his retirement, Tom enjoyed gardening and riding his bicycle around Perrysburg, always in the company of the family’s dog, visiting Woodlands Park, the Perrysburg Library and Mr. Freeze. He leaves not to mourn, but to cherish his memory, his beloved wife, Brigitte; treasured children, Suzanne Johnston Yingling (Jay) and Thomas Sanford Johnston III (Lori); his precious granddaughters, Catherine Montgomery-McHugh (Patrick) and Julia Yingling; and his adored great-granddaughter, Olivia Jean McHugh; his loving sisters, Patricia Ward, and Ellen (Ken) Prater; and numerous other nieces and nephews. Tom was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Margaret JoAnne Phillips. He always counted his family as his most important accomplishment and devoted considerable time to them. His children always enjoyed their Sunday trips with him to the Toledo Zoo and annual family camping trips to Virginia Beach, VA. His granddaughters remember him fondly as “Opa”, always ready with a kind word and funny trivia fact to tell. The family wishes to thank all of those who cared for Tom this past year, especially his caregivers, Barb and Beth who became like family. Private services for the family will be held. Donations may be made to The Ohio Wood County Humane Society at https://wchumane.org/donate as expressions of sympathy in Tom’s memory. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Witzler Shank Funeral Home, Perrysburg (419-874-3133). Online condolences may be left at www.witzlershank.com