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Note: born in North Carolina, he was referred to by his brothers as the "Tar Heel." Milt was also a bit of a "black sheep" in that most of his family was conservative and religious and he was liberal and a little wild. He was so good at football that he was recruited and given a scholarship to attend a prep school located on Michigan State's campus. In addition to breaking his nose several times, Milt acquired a lifetime love of football. Milt was also a lifeguard at Lake Michigan and enjoyed throwing parties at the big red house on the beach that came with the job!
After high school Milt served in the Navy during WWII, and then attended Michigan State University on the GI bill. He graduated in only 3 years with a degree in Business. His favorite class in college, however, and the one he found most useful, was golf, which became his lifelong passion.
A relative moved to California, and Milt followed. There he reconnected with Trudy de Baare, who he had dated briefly in Michigan during high school. They fell in love and were married on June 30, 1950. The newlyweds moved to Lafayette, where they raised 3 children, Beth, Mark, and Scott. Milt hosted legendary poker games there and enjoyed bridge with his wife and friends.
Milt worked as a salesman for Grinnell almost 30 years, honing his sales skills on the golf course along with his golf game. Next, Milt accepted a promotion with a competitor of Grinnell's Keenan Pipe and supply and moved to Los Angeles to work as a warehouse manager. Milt and Trudy enjoyed LA for a few years before moving to Rossmoor in 1991. Rossmoor welcomed them with a community of golfers, world travelers, and bridge players, and Milt became Grand Marshall of "his" golf course. Among many golf trophies, Milt took home the Rossmoor Director's Cup in 1999.
Sadly Milt's health began to decline this year and he passed away on November 18, 2018 at 94 years of age, due to spinal cancer. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, 3 children, 4 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Milt lived and loved life on his own terms, and we will miss the cheerful greetings and sparkling wit and wisdom that were always on display at his "tree house" in Rossmoor.
Note: {geni:about_me} They broke the mold on October 31, 1924, when Milton Roy Johnson was born in Canton, North Carolina. He was the 4th of 5 boys born to George and Goldie Johnson of Parchment, Michigan. Since he was the only one
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