Obituary of Hon. Walter Eugene Johnston

JOHNSTON, Walter Eugene III "Gene" Walter Eugene Johnston III "Gene" was born in 1936, in Winston-Salem, NC, the first child of Bessie Martin and Walter Eugene Johnston, Jr. He died of congestive heart failure in St. Petersburg, FL, on March 28, 2018, with his wife Karen holding his hand. Gene enjoyed a richly varied life for 82 years while pursuing a number of different vocations, avocations, and charitable endeavors. Gene attended local schools in Winston-Salem with the exception of two years his family spent in Beaumont, TX, with his maternal grandparents while his father served in the Navy during World War II. He graduated from Georgia Military Academy. At age 18 Gene joined the Army and married Augusta Gibson, a marriage that produced four children, Mary Kathryn Johnston Jordan, Walter Eugene Johnston IV, James Martin Johnston, and Robert Norris Johnston. After three years in the Army Gene entered Wake Forest University and completed both an undergraduate degree in Accounting and a Law Degree in just five years. Gene became a CPA while working for A.M. Pullen Company, and he and his family settled in Greensboro where he pursued careers in law, business, real estate, and politics. Among his business interests were Fisher-Harrison Printing Company, Pace Publications (in flight magazines for Piedmont, United, and Delta airlines, Elegant Bride, and others), and The Alderman Company in High Point, the largest commercial photography studio in the country. His first real estate venture was the Kings Arms, Greensboro's first luxury condominium complex. As time went on, he consolidated his real estate holdings into Johnston Properties, a family owned company, which grew to own shopping centers, office buildings and apartments in North and South Carolina. In 1980 Gene was elected to represent the 6th District of NC in the United States Congress. He considered being part of the "Reagan Revolution " a tremendous honor and privilege. Art, music, and history were all passions of Gene's. Having become a member of Lloyd's of London in the 1970's he spent a considerable amount of time in England, became a patron of the Royal Academy and loved collecting art and furniture, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries, always learning the provenance of each piece. His special appreciation for the work of William Hogarth led to his being an early patron of the Foundling Museum in London. Back in Greensboro he owned and enjoyed, sequentially, several large older homes which he loved redecorating, often doing the work himself and creating just the right venue for his collections. Among his other endeavors Gene was a founder of Hope Harbor in Greensboro, a home for men recovering from addictions. After his time in Congress he served as Chairman of the Triad Airport Authority, having learned to fly himself as a young man. Though living in Greensboro he retained a great affection for Centenary Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, the church of his childhood, and made significant contributions to the music program there in honor of his parents. In 1983 Gene married Karen Lang in Washington, DC, whom he admits he fell in love with at first sight and managed to win her heart. She has been his perfect companion for 35 years as they have shared their love of travel and art and so much more. Although they have maintained a home in Greensboro, they have enjoyed the majority of their time in St. Petersburg, FL, which is Karen's hometown as well as home to the Salvador Dali Museum, of which Karen is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees. Gene is survived by his beloved wife Karen, his four children and their spouses, eight grandchildren, and his sister Norris Johnston Goss and her family. His family will welcome guests at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King St. N, St. Petersburg, FL, on Saturday, April 7, at 4:00 and a memorial service will follow at 5:00. A second memorial service will be held in North Carolina at a later date. Memorial gifts may be sent to www.FoundlingMuseum.org.uk, or www.TheDali.org, or www.StAnthonysFoundation.org. Condolences can be made to www.AndersonMcQueen.com.