Portage County obituaries for Aug. 11-13

William Byrd Johnson entered the world on August 29, 1939 in Kent, Ohio, the last of twelve children born to John and Dora Johnson. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School from which he graduated in 1957. In February, 1959, after some career counseling from his mother, William enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served his country honorably for eight years. While stationed in Tampa, Florida, William met Alberta Dixon, the daughter of a minister of the African Methodist Church. They were married in 1963 on the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Of this union was born two children: Felicia Daika and Benjamin Webster.

During his tenure in the air force, William spent fifteen months in England, Spain, and Portugal serving in the Air Refueling Wing of the Strategic Air Command. He also spent a year on the Turkish Air Force Base in Eskeshir, Turkey. During his time in the service, he continued his education by enrolling in extension courses offered by the University of Wyoming. Upon his discharge from the Air Force, William became a full-time student at the University of Wyoming, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1970. Shortly after graduation, he started working at the Internal Revenue Service – a career that lasted more than thirty