SIOUX CITY -- Roy F. Johnston, 85, of Sioux City passed away Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, of natural causes at a Sioux City hospital.
Services will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at Hornick United Methodist Church in Hornick, Iowa. Burial will be in Willow Township Cemetery, Holly Springs, Iowa. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m., and a 7 p.m. prayer service, at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home.
Roy was born Nov. 6, 1926, to Earl Benton and Minnie Emeline Johnston in Holly Springs, Iowa. Roy attended school in Hornick, Iowa. a World War II veteran serving in Honolulu, Hawaii, he returned home and married Beth Butler in 1947 and farmed outside Hornick. His true passion was land leveling and soil conservation, starting his own business in 1953.
In 1970, he began building golf courses which eventually led him to join The American Golf Co. This gave him the opportunity to do the work he loved and travel the U.S. He returned to Iowa in 2001 and finished his construction career with Lieber Construction and the many friends he made there. In 2010, he was honored to receive his 60-year membership certificate to the American Legion Post 492.
When he wasn't doing the work he loved, he enjoyed fishing, golfing, reading, nature and drives through the countryside. But his greatest love was spending time with his adored wife and family.
Survivors include his wife, Beth "Tudie" Johnston of Sioux City; daughters, Carol of Sioux City, and Susan and Kirk of Valdez, Alaska; sons, Bryan of Sioux City, and Forrest and Deb of Hornick, Iowa; grandchildren and spouses, Erin Berzina, Kristen and Sean Doherty, Clint and Gina Kirkendall, Kyle Kirkendall, Dustin and Trisha Johnston and Brett and Tara Johnston; four great-granddaughters; a sister, Edna Stowe; a sister-in-law, Carrie Johnston; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Walter Rodney; brothers, Walter and Lloyd Johnston; sisters, Mary Sieger and Lily Flewelling; and his son-in-law, Bob Berzina.