Washington Antonio Johnson

Our beloved Washington Antonio Johnson or “Tony” as he was better known to most of his family and friends went to be with the Lord on Thursday, May 14, 2015. He was only 70 years young. A resident of Sunrise, Florida, for the past 7 years, Tony vowed he would remain in our lives until at least 95 years of age. A promise he was not able to keep to the misfortune of all those who knew him and loved him. He had an enormous will to live, but his body was not strong enough to fight the cancer that invaded his lungs. In the end, he passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife of 37 years and his loved ones. How do you sum up a life well lived in a few short paragraphs? It is a difficult task, but one that we must attempt with earnest to give a man with a grand heart a proper sendoff. Washington Antonio Johnson was born on October 31, 1944, to Alberto Johnson and Rosa Chichi Cassanello in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He was the youngest of five brothers: Franklin, Hugo, William, and Walter. At the very young age of 19, Tony made his way into the world by leaving his country of birth and relocating to the United States. A country he grew to love and humbly serve by enlisting in the US Army. As an Airborne paratrooper he was deployed to Vietnam as a “Screaming Eagle” of the 101st Airborne Division and served his entire combat duty with them. His platoon played a vital role in the Tet Offensive in which they recovered the American Embassy in Saigon from the Viet Cong. He was a decorated war veteran who saved the lives of the men in his squad after discovering they had walked into a minefield. He had them all follow behind him as he personally cleared a path out of the minefield to safety. For this action, he was awarded the “Bronze Star for Heroism in Ground Combat”. Tony was a true war hero and a proud veteran. If you ever ran into him on the street or saw him in a picture, you would not be able to miss him proudly displaying his veteran cap. After his return from serving in the war, Tony put himself through college by working fulltime at night as a security guard and attended classes fulltime by day at City University of New York (CUNY). He graduated from CUNY cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. After graduation, he began his career at Mutual of New York (MONY). A man of great work ethic and personable character, Tony was well-known and quickly moved up the corporate ladder as an executive in the 25 years he worked for the company. Through all this, he never left the military. He continued serving in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve for a total of 33 years, earning a military retirement at the rank of Master Sergeant. Of all his accomplishments, the greatest one that Tony was most proud of was his family. On December 22, 1978, he married Martha Moreno, the partner with whom he shared the last 37 years of his life. As parents they shared many sacrifices in raising five successful and educated children: Luis, Cathy, Alex, Cindy and Chichi. They along with their respective spouses, Patty, Kevin, Michelle, Andrew, and Shane are grateful for all their sacrifices and will sorely miss his wit, many words of encouragement and whole-hearted advice. His grandchildren were a source of pride. They are missing out on the opportunity to get to know the profoundness of his love for them: Caroline, Alexa, Hart, Nicholas, Kody, Teddy, Ben and Wyatt. He loved them all so much. Our dearest Tony, you were truly a force of nature. Words cannot describe how much your family and friends will miss you. To all those who called you, husband, father, grandpa, son, brother, uncle, cousin or friend, there is an open wound that only time may heal. You will live on in our hearts until we meet again. Please don't cry Just because we had to part, as long as you remember me, I'll live in your heart. · Joe Green Services to be held: Funeral visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 19th at 6-9pm at Ralph’s Funeral Home located at 371 Northwest 136th Avenue, Sunrise, FL 33325. Church service will be held on Wednesday, May 20th at 10am at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church located at 1301 S.W. 136th Avenue, Davie, Florida, 33325. In lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made in Tony’s name (johnsonwashingto@gmail.com) to: St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital at www.StJude.org Armed Forces Foundation at www.armedforcesfoundation.org