WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
SHELDON B. JOHNSON
(optometrist)
BIOGRAPHY
Sheldon B. Johnson was born on April 27, 1926 in the town of Tropic, Utah. He moved to St. George at the age of fourteen.Sheldon served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Afterwards, he became a successful Doctor of Optometry and active member of the community in the St. George, Utah area.
Sheldon served for 42 consecutive years on the Washington County School Board. He led the creation of Millcreek High School, developed the first classroom unit for children with disabilities, and pioneered innovative school construction methods still in use today.
Sheldon married Leatrice Sproul in the St. George Temple. Together they raised five sons. Leatrice passed away on January 10, 1991 and was buried in Plot C_25_15_5 of the St. George City Cemetery.
Later, Sheldon married LaVerna Laub Bringhurst.
Sheldon bought a farm in St. George as a work project for his sons. He discovered petrified dinosaur tracks on the property and developed it into the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm (aka Dinosaur Tracks Museum).
Sheldon passed away of acute leukemia on August 17, 2016, at his home in St. George. He is buried in the St. George City Cemetery.
Also see the documents referenced below.
FAMILY
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Parents and Siblings:
Joseph Hills Johnson Mabel Watson Jolley Johnson Mark Watson Johnson Mazel Kay Johnson Grant Douglas Johnson Metta Johnson Sheldon B. Johnson |
(7/28/1891-1/9/1978) (married 6/19/1912) (5/31/1887-2/11/1964) (6/12/1913-12/10/1998) (married Hannah Shumway) (8/13/1915-10/21/1973) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (11/4/1918-5/3/1989) (married Lorraine Mason) (2/18/1923-11/7/2008) (married Van Abbott George) (4/27/1926-8/17/2016) (married as shown below) |
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First Wife and Children: Leatrice Sproul Johnson Kerry Johnson Layne Johnson Kris Johnson Gale Johnson Brett Johnson |
(11/4/1929-1/10/1991) (married xx/xx/xxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) |
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Second Wife: LaVerna Laub Bringhurst Johnson |
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married xx/xx/xxxx) |
PHOTOS
WCHS photos:WCHS-03163 Photo of Dr. Sheldon B. & LaVerna B. Johnson at the Dinosaur Tracks Museum
Photos on the web:
L-R: Aaron Jolley, Agnes Wilson (Sheldon's favorite teacher), and Sheldon B. Johnson
Sheldon & Leatrice Wedding Portrait
Sheldon & Leatrice Wedding Day at the St. George Temple
REFERENCES
Pioneer Ancestorsby Dr. Sheldon B. Johnson (as told to wife LaVerna Johnson, 1996)
My Early Recollections of Life in Tropic, Utah
by Dr. Sheldon B. Johnson (as told to LaVerna Johnson 1996)
Dr. Sheldon B. Johnson: Memories of World War II
as told to wife LaVerna, 1996
Sheldon Johnson Remembers the Dinosaur Site and the Farm History
Written August 2002 at the Request of Kerry Bate, Director of Community Development, State of Utah Division of Community and Economic Development
FamilySearch collection for Sheldon B. Johnson
Obituary of Sheldon Johnson
Find-A-Grave entry for Sheldon B Johnson
Find-A-Grave entry for Leatrice Sproul Johnson
Meet LaVerna Johnson of Dixie Poets Chapter
in the Utah State Poetry Society's official BLOG, November 17,2015