1938 – 2015

TENNESSEE COLONY, TEXAS — Carl Thomas Johnson, 77, of Hillsborough, Texas, died unexpectedly on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Tennesee Colony, Texas, while camping with his family, along with five family members.

He was born on Nov. 23, 1938, in New Haven, Conn., the son of Algot and Catherine (Mooney) Johnson. He attended schools in New Haven, Norwich, and Windham, Conn. Carl served his country proudly from 1955 to 1959 in the U.S. Navy as a ship’s baker on the Dixie, the Sperry and other ships where he made so many friends and visited so many places all over the world. When discharged from the Navy, he went to work for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, covering all of Connecticut, leaving with retirement in 1970.

In 1966, Carl married Constance Lou Bean, who was from the Springfield, Vt. area, and they had two children, Erik Roy and Elizabeth Helena. Carl moved his family to Maine in 1970 and went to work at the University of Maine at Farmington, where he loved his job and formed a working family, retiring in 1999. On Nov. 10, 1973, Carl married the love of his life, Cynthia Ann McIntire of Weld. They made their home in Industry and their daughter, Hannah McIntire Johnson, was born in 1975. After retiring from UMF, Carl and Cindy bought a home in Hillsboro, Texas, at the Airstream community at the end of 2002 and permanently moved there in 2009.

Carl was a member of the Elks Lodge in Farmington and the North Texas Airstream Community. He had a passion for genealogy, motorcycling (with sidecars), and cross-country skiing. His hobbies included railroading, attending model train shows and traveling all over to collect toy trains of the tin type variety.

He is survived by his wife, Cynthia Johnson; his son, Erik (Trudy) Johnson of Farmington; his daughter, Elizabeth (Jonathan) VanKirk of Freeland, Mich.; his brothers, Algot Johnson of New Sharon and Terrence Johnson of North Stonington, Conn.; his brother-in-law, Evan (Maria) McIntire; his sisters-in-law, Nancy (Bob) Dionne, Naomi (Richard) Doughty; his grandchildren, Emily VanKirk, Alex VanKirk, Sophia (Kevin) Jesse, Sabrina VanKirk and Anna VanKirk, all of Freeland, Mich., and Erika Johnson and Mariah Johnson of Farmington.

He was predeceased by his parents, Algot Sr. and Katherine Johnson; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Donald and Bessie McIntire; his grandson, Alek Johnson; and his niece, Brooke Dionne.

Donations in Carl’s memory may be made to https://www.gofundme.com/hannahandkade or sent to Erik Johnson, 686 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington, ME 04938 to be added to this fund.

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