Robert D. Johnston
Indianapolis, formerly of Brownsburg, passed away peacefully on Wednesday September 13, 2017 with his wife Dee at his side. Bob Johnston was born on December 7, 1921 in rural Western Pennsylvania. As a boy he was an avid reader of adventure and science-fiction stories, and dreamed of one day becoming either a pilot or an inventor. His first dream was realized after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on his 20th birthday: Bob took this as a personal affront and joined the Army Air Corps, eventually becoming a fighter pilot in the Pacific theater of World War II. He flew more than 70 combat missions from Indonesia to the Philippines to Okinawa, and was awarded the Bronze Star. After returning from the war, Bob married his high school sweetheart Beryl Henry, who encouraged him to take advantage of the GI Bill. So Bob became the first member of his family to graduate from college, earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State. Over the next several decades working as an engineer, he realized his second boyhood dream of becoming an inventor. He was most proud of his invention of a cryogenic surgical probe used in brain surgery for Parkinson's disease, which enabled many disabled patients to regain their mobility. His other innovative designs ranged widely, from the hyper-efficient "adiabatic" diesel engine, to an energy storage system for satellites in space. After retiring from engineering, Bob kept busy in a wide variety of jobs, from woodworking to doing some of the first searches on the ARPAnet, the predecessor of the Internet. A few years after Beryl passed away in 2003, Bob met Dee Wilhite at a book club, and they were soon married. Bob is survived by his wife Dee, his daughter Sandra Lyon, his sons John and Paul, and by five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Beryl, and by his daughter Ellen Salmon. A memorial service will be held on Monday Sept. 18 at Matthews Mortuary in Brownsburg. Public visitation will be from 1:00 - 2:00pm, with services immediately following.