Francis “Fritz” Butler Johnson

Francis “Fritz” Butler Johnson passed away on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, in Sterling, Va., surrounded in love by his family and companion after battling heart disease. He was born in Babylon, Long Island, New York in 1932, and had recently celebrated his 80th birthday.
He was predeceased by his wife of 49 years, Elizabeth, where they lived for many years in West Islip, N.Y.; and their son, David Butler Johnson; and his brother, Peter (Elaine) Johnson, of Houston, Texas. He is survived by his son, Scott Michael Johnson, of San Diego; daughter, Lisa Ann (Richard) Smalling, of Sterling, Va.; three grandchildren, Laura (Andrew) Augustin, Stephen and Emily Smalling, all in Sterling, Va.; brother, Robert (Geraldine) Johnson, of Kiawah Island and Charleston; several nieces and nephews; and his companion of three years, Roberta “Bobbi” Amato, of Southern Pines.
Fritz graduated with an economics degree from Tufts University, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Upon graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy as a second division officer, traveling to many foreign countries on the USS Monongahela and the USS Betelgeuse until June 1957.
He was employed at first by Raytheon and then at Airborne Instruments Laboratories – AIL (Eton Corporation) as the division business manager of their Radar and Transportation Systems Divisions when he retired in 1988. Fritz enjoyed researching his family’s ancestry and recently wrote his memoirs.
He participated in a variety of activities he enjoyed through the years: boating, bridge, bowling, golf, gardening, gourmet cooking, traveling and volunteering. He served as president of the Kiwanis Club in Ocean Pines, Md., where he retired to for 20 years, was very active in Boy Scouts as a pack leader, PFLAG participant, was treasurer of the ASGA Pinehurst, co-chair of the Grasscutters golf of Pinehurst Newcomers and a member of the Mid South Golf Club.
A private family service will be held in the near future in Ocean Pines, Md.
Memorials may be made to FirstHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, P.O. Box 5889, Pinehurst, NC 28374 or the ASGA Pinehurst Turfgrass Management Scholarship Fund at Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374.