Roger Bayne Johnson ’65, son of Shirley (Bayne) and Everett E. Johnson (both deceased) passed away peacefully August 30, 2014, due to complications related to leukemia. Roger, 72, was born in San Luis Obispo, in July 1942, where he spent his early life. Roger was a graduate from San Luis Obispo High School in 1960. He then went to the University of Santa Clara where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965 with a major in history and also a ROTC Second Lieutenant Commission in the U.S. Army. Prior to entering the army, he attended the Santa Clara Law School. After entering the U.S. Army, Roger then graduated from the U.S. Army Demolition School. As a demolition expert, Roger, who was a captain at that time, was the commander of the 61st Ordnance Detachment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, which is responsible for 100,000 square miles, including the complete state of Oklahoma and all of Texas north of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Upon leaving the U.S. Army in 1970, Roger moved to Boston and began his career in the insurance business. After a few years, he settled in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. for a number of years before returning to California. He settled in San Jose, Calif., in the early 1990s where he became the Regional Director for the American Income Life Insurance Company (AIL) before his retirement. Roger has always had a love for sports, and in his early school years he received the award two years in a row for being the best athlete of the year.
Roger is survived by his sister Janice Jonsin and brother-in-law, Brig. Gen. Larry H. DellaBitta (ret.); brother and sister-in-law Chuck and Mary Jo Johnson; nieces and nephews Laura Byrd, Curry Smith, Seth Johnson, and Noel Johnson. Great nieces and nephews: Avery Smith, Zoey, Willow, Charlotte, Henry and Mason Johnson. Roger was preceded in death by his nephew Jonn Jonsin.