Person Page - 1405

Milton Eugene Johns (Gene)
1923 - 2022

Milton Eugene Johns (Gene) passed early in the morning December 8, 2022, surrounded by his family and caring staff at Atterdag Village in Solvang, California.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana on August 10, 1923, a young boy during the Great Depression of the '30s, Gene helped support his family by delivering the Shreveport Times before school every morning. He and his peers on Springhill Avenue worked their way out of poverty, and although over time they scattered into professional fields throughout the country, they remained lifelong friends.

Gene enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the age of 18 after receiving special consent from his mother and as required by the Armed Forces. Soon after completing flight school in Texas, he earned his wings and was commissioned in 1943. Gene flew combat missions in the European theater and logged over 105 combat hours as a Captain piloting what he explained were masterfully engineered P-47 and P-51 fighter planes. Among other decorations, Gene was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, earned only by pilots who distinguished themselves by single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement. During World War II, only a fraction of combat pilots survived unscathed... it would be difficult to argue Gene's many hours of combat missions were not both heroic and extraordinary. His family and friends salute him as a hero. The world is a safer and more humane place because of Patriots like him.

Gene was part of the American post-war effort to rebuild Europe. While stationed in Freising Germany, his courtship began with his soon-to-be bride, "Kitty," as he affectionately called her. Together they made their way to Lompoc in 1965 and after retiring from the military and receiving a master's degree in Systems Analysis from the University of Southern California, Gene began his civilian career. He built and maintained the Western Test Range, headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, to guide and track missiles launched into southern orbit.

Although an exacting engineer, Gene had his share of eccentricities. As opposed to a pickup truck, the vehicle of choice for equestrians, he would drive his tiny MG Sprite 4-banger, to the outskirts of Lompoc where he boarded and raised horses. A two-year-old thoroughbred, Fleet Fury, once imperiled his tax filings by winning at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

In the very limited space in the trunk of his sports car, next to the saddle and tack, lived his other love--his golf bag. Scoring routinely in the 70s, some would argue he toyed with his weekend opponents--letting them get ahead in the bet, and while they were counting their earnings, he birdied the last few holes for the comeback win. His weekend foursome was regularly refreshed with new players.

Gene was a study in loving his bride. As Kitty's years were coming to an end and her role at home diminished, he became her loving, patient, doting, and tireless caregiver--dignifying 65 years of marriage.

His surviving family; Glynnis Mullenary, Denise Johns, and Milton Johns; along with his extended family and friends, wish to dignify him on December 15, 2022 at Lompoc Cemetery at 1:30 PM with song, memories, and United States Air Force Honor Guard.⁴