Major Robert Welk Johnson, U.S. Air Force, Retired
It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Bob Johnson. Bob passed peacefully surrounded by his loving and devoted wife Shari and family. He is now with our heavenly father. He was born on June 6, 1940, to Kenneth and Helen Johnson. Bob grew up in Osawatomie, Kansas where he met his first wife Frances (Judy) Johnson. He attended Osawatomie High School where he played varsity football for three years and was voted to the all-conference team in his junior year as a center and his senior year as a defensive end. Bob also was on the varsity basketball team for three years and varsity golf four years where he finished second place in the state golf tournament in 1958. He made National Honor Society in his junior year. Bob started working in his father’s oil supply business at the age of fourteen on weekends and during summers.
Bob graduated from the University of Kansas with a BS in Education. He was then commissioned in the United States Air Force. Bob was a navigator with 8600 flying hours and qualified in six different aircraft. During the Vietnam War he flew 171 .5 combat missions and 30 combat support missions. Later he was an Instructor at the AirForce Navigation School where he taught overwater navigation, low level map reading, and radar navigation. He earned several medals and awards including the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal. The Air Force provided him with opportunity to visit five continents and numerous countries. He had foreign service in the Philippines, Vietnam, and England. During this time Bob and Judy had four children: Robert, Jennifer, Reed, and Jeanne-marie. Bob retired after twenty years of service and moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Then he started his second career as an independent oil producer for twenty-three years in Miami and Franklin counties along with his father and several other partners. Bob and Judy resided in Lawrence with their four children and two dogs until her passing in 1987.
Several years later Bob met his current wife Shari, marrying in 1994. They have spent the past thirty-one years nurturing a blended family with Shari’s two children, Marty and Lori. Their marriage has been filled with love, laughter, and joy. Bob and Shari spent a great deal of time traveling and visiting their children in Texas, Michigan, New Mexico, and Maryland. They have walked on the Great Wall of China, flew over and around Mt. Everest, and visited the Taj Mahal while circumnavigating the globe in the 1990’s.
Bob was an avid KU basketball fan from 1982 to his passing. He also tended over a hundred hostas in his yard. A cabin on Lone Star Lake become a hobby for both Bob and Shari for several years referred to as a “This Old House/Cabin” project. They spent a great deal of time constructing several decks, building cabinets, putting in support beams, and a tongue and groove ceiling. The cabin was enjoyed by the family on many occasions including annual 4th of July gatherings.
Bob served on the Board of Directors of the Lone Star Lake Association. He was also a past President of the Jayhawk MOAA organization and served on its Board of Directors. One of his most enjoyable past times was working with the “Vets in the Classroom” program sponsored by MOAA for more than ten years. Bob and Shari also volunteered for the Lawrence Humane Society fostering kittens.
Bob is survived by his beloved wife Shari; their six children: Robert Johnson of Olathe, KS, Jennifer Shambaugh (Mike) of Lawrence, KS, Reed Johnson (Kathryn) of Manhattan, KS, Jeanne-marie Dixon (Mike) of Paola, KS, Marty Novak (Susan) of Hamshire, TX, and Lori Peterson (Adam) of Midland, MI. He was a proud grandfather to Julia-anne Johnson, Alex Clabaugh (Joanna), Trenton Shambaugh (Alyssa), Payton Shambaugh (Sam), Sorren Johnson, Millicent Johnson, Noah Dixon, Samuel Dixon, Mary Frances Dixon, Rachel Dixon, Morgan (Alexander), James Novak, Mason Novak, Brady Walker, Zachary Peterson (Morgan), Abby Peterson, Victor Peterson, and Annie Peterson. He was fortunate to also have six great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Helen Johnson, brother Pete, and his first wife Judy. Bob was a devoted and supportive husband, father, and grandfather. We will miss him dearly but he will always be with us and guiding us from above.
We wish him blue skies and calm winds on his next journey.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence, KS. The visitation will be an hour prior to the service on Thursday at the mortuary. Graveside services with Military Honors will be at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, 2025 at the Osawatomie Cemetery in Osawatomie, KS.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:
Lawrence Humane Society - https://www.classy.org/give/409518/#!/donation/checkout
MOAA – https://moaadonate.funraise.org
St. Jude Children’s Hospital - https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?dedication=2&sc_icid=honors-lp-donate-bttn-top&express=0&product_code=MCGLHNENAAllOccHope&frequency_selected=0
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert Welk Johnson, please visit our flower store.Warren-Mcelwain Mortuary
Warren-Mcelwain Mortuary
Osawatomie Cemetery
Visits: 830
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors