Claude Alton Johnson was a selfless, honorable man who lived by a mantra: a stranger was simply a friend he had not yet met. He was a high school state champion wrestler who continued his athletic career at West Point. With the U.S. Army, he proudly served as an Air Defense Artillery and Adjutant General Corps officer and received the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Vietnam. He passed away on July 5, 2022 at the age of 76. Johnson’s family donated his brain to the UNITE Brain Bank, where researchers diagnosed him with stage 3 (of 4) CTE. Below, the Johnson family shares Claude’s Legacy Story in the hopes his donation will help advance CTE research for future generations.
Claude Alton Johnson, proud son of Boone, N.C. and pride of Morristown, N.J., beloved husband of Tina, proud father of Christopher and Kathryn, died on July 5, 2022, after a long wrestling match with dementia. Unlike his matches as a cadet, this was one he could not win.
Claude was the son of Ola and Hal Johnson and grew up with his four siblings in the Appalachian Mountains. He was a fierce wrestler in high school, becoming state champion before joining the Army as a cadet. As a four-year letterman on the team, he wryly said he, “won more matches than he lost!”
Claude was one of the kindest, most warmhearted, adventurous, fun-loving, and caring people we knew. He loved life, and the ladies universally loved his soft, inquisitive Southern drawl, which he used to the fullest. A classmate once told Claude he thought it was great their Southern accents allowed them to bamboozle people.
During his freshman year, Claude met the love of his life, Tina. They were married at Holy Trinity Chapel at West Point in November 1968. Claude proudly served in the Army for five years as an Air Defense Artillery and Adjutant General Corps officer, and he received the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Vietnam. He spent a year in the Replacement Battalion at Long Binh. As the Liaison Officer to a refugee village outside Saigon, Claude was able to see many classmates and friends who came into the country or were going home during that year. On weekends, he would take “volunteers” (all the beer you could drink!) to work there. During their tenure, they built a school and endeared themselves to the residents. For his work, locals even gave Claude a gold medallion inscribed “Our Benefactor” and presented him with a proclamation calling him “Man of Our Hope.” The most difficult part of the assignment was the day he left Tina and his newborn son Christopher, who was only three days old at the time.
Claude’s subsequent corporate and entrepreneurial careers in data management and operations research afforded him even more exposure to the world. With his immense thirst for new experiences, travel was a real tonic. He lived by the ethic that a stranger was simply a friend he had not yet met. Millionaire or homeless, it never mattered; all received the same treatment. Claude just loved people. He was a selfless, honorable man who left a mark on everyone he met.
Claude had a special gift. His quick wit was wrapped in an enigmatic and wry sarcasm, often befuddling listeners as to whether Claude’s expression was simply inane or brilliantly astute. He loved the role, and it endeared him to everyone. In business as well as in the Army, he diffused situations with humor and charm.
Adapting to any situation was Claude’s specialty. Whether in a new position or in a new location, he was on it instantly. Through military and civilian assignments, he moved 15 times. It was always an enriching experience for him. His only mistake was presuming he had to own a house wherever he moved, even with several relocations within a year! Claude often said it was like witness protection but being allowed to keep your own name. His real estate advice was jokingly, “Buy high. Sell low!”
Claude had intense pride and love for his family: Tina, his wife of nearly 54 years; son Chris (Jenn) Johnson, and daughter Kathryn (Bill) Gates as well as three adored grandchildren, Hunter and Payton Johnson and Emily Gates. Besides being with the grandkids, volunteering and gardening were Claude’s true joys.
His volunteer efforts ranged from coaching high school wrestlers to working in soup kitchens. After retiring and living in Florida, he spent several hours a week at a local nursery. Other days, he and Tina worked in a school program assisting needy districts. Upon returning to Morristown, N.J., he volunteered at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, where he was recognized as Volunteer of the Year. They also spent many happy hours at nourish. NJ, a community soup kitchen. Truly a Renaissance man, he would de-stress by creating masterful works of art in needlepoint!
As a result of his athletic endeavors, Claude selflessly and generously elected to donate his brain to the UNITE Brain Bank, where researchers diagnosed him with stage 3 (of 4) CTE. We hope his contribution will aid in the development of a blood test to isolate CTE and other dementia contributors, as well as effective drugs to combat them.
We will forever encounter Claude in our memories and our hearts. We will find him as he always was: clever, kind, caring, gently mischievous, and fiercely devoted to family and friends forever. He was easy to love…and still is.
Learn about symptoms, risk factors, and what causes the neurodegenerative disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
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