Monday, September 27, 2010

Frank L. Johnson

Frank Lee Johnson, 71, passed away surrounded by family at his residence on Monday, September 27 2010.

He was born in Kansas City, MO, on December 23, 1938, to Edwin Lee and Virginia Lealand (nee: Cain) Johnson. Frank grew up in the small Kansas town of Ottawa with his parents and his sister, Janice Kast. Frank graduated from Ottawa High School in 1957, the University of Kansas in 1962, and Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kansas. Frank served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for two years. He was united in marriage with Carolyn Baggett on August 31, 1968, in Columbia, South Carolina.

After Law School he served as legal advisor for Kansas governor Robert Docking and served as the State of Kansas Pardon and Extradition Attorney. After a change in governorship, he was in private practice before becoming the County Counsel for Shawnee County, Kansas. In 1980 he and his family moved to Racine, WI, and up until his retirement in 2006 he was the Attorney and Director of Employment Relations for the Racine Unified School District. In 2006 he was awarded the George Tipler Award for Distinguished Service in School Law. He was a member of the Racine Bar Association, Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, President 1994-95; Urban School Negotiators Association, Board of Directors, and the Wisconsin Bar Association.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his half-brother Alwin R. Johnson of Grays Lake, Illinois. Frank is survived by his wife of 42 years, Carolyn; his sons, Michael (Holly) and Christopher; and one granddaughter. He is also survived by his sister, Janice Kast of Vassar, Kansas; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Frank’s life will be held Saturday, October 2, 2010, at the funeral home from 5-7 p.m. with A Time of Remembering to begin at 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Frank can be made to the Brain Tumor Research Fund, Department of Neurology, 9200 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53226 or the American Brain Tumor Society.

A special thank you to Frank’s caregivers: Ramona Phillips, Debbie Ambrose and Carrie Landers.

MARESH-MEREDITH & ACKLAM FUNERAL HOME
803 Main St., Racine  (262) 634-7888

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I bargained against Frank for the REA and SEIU for many years. He was an honest and skilled negotiator who always kept his word and defused many heated situations with his sense of humor and cool demeanor. Whether an advocate for management or labor, we all admired this uniquely devoted and talented man. His devotion to Racine Unified was admirable. Frank's death was a major loss for the labor and employment bar. The community lost an outstanding lawyer and a remarkable human being. We are all impoverished by his demise.

Anonymous said...

Truly a class act in everything he did. He will be missed.