Dr. Willard Lee Johnson
October 9, 1920 ~ February 8, 2015 (age 94) 94 Years OldShare using:
Dr. Willard Lee Johnson, age 94, retired optometrist who practiced in Hillsboro for 47 years, passed away on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at Montgomery Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Services will be held on Friday, February 20, 2015 at Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, 506 S. Main St. in Hillsboro. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the church. Funeral services will follow at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Matt Ferguson officiating.
Private family interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery at a later date. Bass Patton Dean funeral home in Hillsboro is in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Johnson was born on October 9, 1920 in Iola to Jennie (Keen) and Harold Johnson. He graduated from Iola High School in 1938 followed by two years at Eastern Illinois University where he earned a teaching certificate. Dr. Johnson then taught public school in the Farina area until enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in December, 1942. Following completion of Basic Training, Dr. Johnson was selected for Officer Candidate School and commissioned a Second Lieutenant upon completion. Following Field Artillery School, he was assigned to the 5th Division Field Artillery. Dr. Johnson served in the World War II Pacific Theater, including the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima in February, 1945 where he was promoted to First Lieutenant.
After his discharge from the Marines in July, 1946, Dr. Johnson attended and graduated from the Northern Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, where he met his future wife, Lora Lee “Lolly” Strong of Peoria, in 1948.
In 1949 Dr. Johnson bought the practice of Hillsboro optometrist Dr. W. T. Thorpe. He and Lolly were married on October 5, 1952; she preceded him in death on June 26, 1990. In addition to his wife and parents, preceding him in death were brothers Joe Johnson, Harold Johnson, Jr., Doyle Johnson, and Larry Johnson; and sisters Marilyn Drake and Audrey Kampschrader. Dr. Johnson is survived by a sister, Isabelle Yanik of Greensburg, KY; daughter Janet Best (Ken) of Eureka, MO; son Jon (wife Dee Ann) Johnson of Florissant, MO; granddaughter JoBeth Hodges (husband Josh) of Lorton, VA; grandson Jordan Johnson of Amarillo, TX; and two great-grandsons. He is also survived by longtime companion Lou Crews of Hillsboro.
In 1979, Dr. Johnson relocated his practice from 434 S. Main St. to the building he had built at 200 E. Mechanic St. (currently Prairie Eye Center). In 1991, Dr. Johnson became associated with ophthalmologists Dr. Sandra Yeh and Dr. Michael Walsh of Springfield. Dr. Johnson retired on September 1, 1996 following the sale of his practice to Dr. Yeh.
Dr. Johnson was a member of the Hillsboro Presbyterian Church and Mt. Moriah Masonic Lodge No. 51. He was also a Lifetime Member of the American Optometric Association and a past member of the Hillsboro Lions Club. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, traveling, visiting with his family, and he was often recognized walking to and from town by friends and former patients.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association; Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 51; the Hillsboro Lions Club sight/vision program; or to a church, charity, or cause of the donor’s choice.
