Edward S. Johnson, 93, passed away peacefully of natural causes on October 6, 2014, in Solomons, Maryland. Ed was the 2nd child of Jacob M. and Helen M. Johnson born at a farm house in Pawnee County, NE on May 3, 1921.

Ed grew up in Pawnee County. His father was a sharecropper farmer, moving to a different farm each year; consequently Ed attended 8 different country schools during his elementary school years. He started high school at Table Rock, NE, but transferred to Pawnee City High School at the start of his sophomore year, and graduated in the class of 1939. Ed was a good student and won a regent's academic scholarship to the University of Nebraska; but he never used this scholarship.

He secured a loan from the Educational Foundation of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and enrolled at the Grand Island Business College, NE, in Jan 1940. In the fall of 1940 Federal government was expanding in anticipation of war, so Ed took the civil service test for Clerk-Typist and scored 95. He received a job offer in the War Department and promptly accepted, since the salary of $120 per month was twice the salary of a bank teller in Nebraska. He reported for duty on 2 Jan 1941 at the Munitions Building in Washington, D.C. Ed again turned to the IOOF organization and borrowed $75 for transportation to Washington and living expenses until his first paycheck.

In late December 1940, he and his college friend, Vic McDermott, boarded the train at Lincoln, NE, for the trip east. They rode the train for 2 days and nights, arriving at Washington Union Station on 31 Dec 1940. Ed worked for the Army Engineer Corps in the military construction program.

Ed was drafted in Oct 1942, inducted into the US Army on 15 Oct 1942, and ordered to report for active duty on 29 Oct 1942. Due to a childhood problem with his right eye (amblyopia), he was classified as "limited service." He served almost 3-1/2 years in the Army, stationed at various posts on the East Coast. He spent most of this time as a Corporal, but in 1945 started to receive promotions and was discharged on 25 Feb 1946 as a Master Sergeant. While stationed at Ft. Meade, MD in May 1945, he met Esther Facko, a Sergeant in the Women's Army Corps. She was scheduled for discharge from the service in early 1946, so they took a bus to Frederick, MD, and were married at the Lutheran Church there on 15 Jan 1946.

Ed returned to his job with the Army Engineers, and he and Esther lived in Northern Virginia, D.C. suburbs for the next 43 years, with a 4 year interlude in Battle Creek, MI (Jan 1958 to Feb 1962).They had three children - all boys. Following his discharge from the Army, Ed took advantage of the GI Bill and attended night school at Benjamin Franklin University, Washington, D.C., for 3 years, receiving a Bachelor of Commercial Science degree in Accounting in June 1949. Ed worked as a budget officer and comptroller for the Army Chemical Corps and over 16 years for the Federal Civil Defense Agency until he retired from Federal service on 30 Jun 1973.

From 1977 to 1985 he worked part-time in the accounting office of the Northern Virginia Community College preparing the budget and administering the student loan collections program.
After he retired he devoted considerable time to genealogical research on the Johnson family line. Once he had established his linage back to Revolutionary War soldier Abraham Amsden, he joined the Sons of the American Revolution in January 1993 and was accepted into the George Washington Chapter, Alexandria, VA. Later he submitted a supplemental application to have another ancestor, Israel Johnson, who also served as a Sergeant in the Revolutionary War, added to his ancestry line. He felt this was important as it established the Johnson surname back to the Revolution.

He was baptized into the Baptist Church in Pawnee City when he was 16 years old. Later when the family moved to Virginia, he and Esther joined Hope Lutheran Church, Annandale, VA in 1963 where they were members for 30 years. During that period, Ed served as financial secretary for 5 years and as trustee for another 20 years. When they moved to Maryland in 1993 they joined the Methodist Church.

In June 1993, Ed and Esther moved to the country life in Leonardtown, MD, to be near their youngest son, Bradley, and his family. In 2009 they moved to the Solomons Asbury Community where Esther passed away in 2009 and Ed passed away peacefully on October 6, 2014.

He is survived by his sisters Vivian Fintel of Florida and Marjorie Fossum of Nebraska; sons Dennis (Linda) and Byron (Janelle Haskell) Johnson of Arlington, Virginia and Bradley (Melanie) Johnson of Chesapeake Beach, MD; eleven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brothers Ervin, Jacob, Clyde, George, Kenneth and Charles Johnson.

A Memorial Service celebrating Ed's life will be held at Asbury Solomons, 11740 Asbury Circle, Solomons, MD on Tuesday, 14 Oct 2014 at 11:00 a.m. Light refreshments will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society. Interment will be in the Pawnee City, Nebraska.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.