Spear Paine Johnson's Obituary
Spear Paine Johnson, 97, of St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor, Florida passed away on Monday, June 17, 2019. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 14,1922 to Ralph Paine and Elizabeth Goodman Johnson. He attended The Peddie School and travelled cross-country with friends before entering Cornell University where he was a proud member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and graduated from Florida Southern College in 1949. Spear met Shirley McMullen through mutual friends, and it was "love at first sight”. They were married on November 4, 1950 at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, Florida where they both were members for almost 70 years. They divided their time between Clearwater and Silver Bay, on Lake George in New York. After working many years as an engineer, he retired from Honeywell. Spear enjoyed hunting, hiking, fishing and woodworking. His favorite "fish tale" was of catching a record 9 foot tarpon in a 12 foot boat.
In addition to his parents, Spear is predeceased by his sisters Lois Earhart and Elizabeth (Betsy) Weiss. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Shirley McMullen Johnson, daughters Linda Elizabeth Johnson and Sally Paine Johnson (Chuck). He is also survived by six grandchildren: David, Erin (Gordon), Alison (Eve), Courtney (Lizzy), Caitlin (Brian) and Kirsten (Noah), as well as five great-grandchildren.
A family service will be held at noon on Monday, June 24, 2019 at McMullen Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida.
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