Richard "Dick, Rick" William Johnston

Richard was born in Milwaukee on October 13, 1941, to Ronald F. Johnston and Cecil (nee Wendt) Johnston and died on July 28, 2021, at age 79. His wife of 54 years, Kathleen Ryan Johnston was by his side.

In addition to beloved wife and dearest friend Kathleen, he is survived by his dear much loved sister, Wendy (Larry) Preo, sister-in-law, Mary Ryan Taras, many loved nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends.

He was predeceased by his parents, Ronald and Cecil Johnston, to whom he was grateful for the love and life they gave him, his mother and father-in-law Theodore and Frances Ryan, his brother-in-law Patrick Ryan, and his good friend John Dunn.

Richard grew up in Milwaukee and prided himself on being a Milwaukee boy. Palmer street, neighborhood friends and pranks, Milwaukee Braves, Borchert Field, St. Marcus school, Christmas at Schuster’s with Billy the Brownie, cowboy movies, and eventually TV were a part of his favorite memories. It was a short drive to Waterloo where he enjoyed time on the farm with his cousins, and in his grandma’s store with the ice cream cooler right behind the register.

As a young child he had an insatiable curiosity about the world, winning an encyclopedia for his Ask Andy question about the lost continent of Atlantis. He graduated from Washington High School, then continued his studies commuting to UWM paying his own way, graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. He felt a great debt of gratitude to UWM for inspiring his love of classical studies and providing the opportunities to pursue that passion. He became an independent classics scholar with a special interest in early Greek religion, and in collaboration with his friend and mentor, David D. Mulroy, UWM, would write and publish in scholarly journals. He established the scholarship below in David’s honor.

His creativity and writing skills were vital to his life’s work. His careers included advertising, beginning with classified advertising at the Milwaukee Journal and continuing to several agencies, free-lance writing, banking, mainly with Commonwealth Bank, teaching night classes at Cardinal Stritch, and finally as a financial advisor for A. G. Edwards. In these careers he developed friendships with his clients and colleagues. To his last day he checked the Dow and his investments.

Music was a lifetime love. He found his niche in folk music, playing his guitar and singing songs, mostly of the Kingston Trio. In fact, he romanced his wife with his guitar strumming and heartfelt singing. He never lost his love for “a good guitar and a whaling song.” Combining his love of the Kingston Trio with his curiosity and love of research, he gathered material with interviews, attendance at concerts, briefly traveling with the group, pouring through boxes of records, and collecting memorabilia all of which was donated to the UWM library.

In addition to music, Richard loved art. Paintings, ceramics, and bronze sculptures filled his study and spilled into the rest of the house. He was a patron of the arts developing friendships with artists and often commissioned pieces found in his home. Cathra-Anne Barker, a ceramicist of Santa Fe was a favorite as was Meinhard Loppnow, a Wisconsin artist and painter.

A wise mentor gave him the advice to live life backwards. So newly married, and living in a one bedroom apartment, he and Kathy built a cottage in Central Wisconsin that they and friends and family would enjoy for years. Time spent at the cottage was precious and filled with morning coffee, long discussions, watching the ducks and “sea monsters” swim by, boat rides, and beautiful sunsets. The location on a lake allowed him to indulge in another of his passions, fishing for northern and muskie. One of his prized possessions was a picture with “the big one” that he then set free.

His final months were filled with remembrances of his past life that always brought a smile to his face. He discovered Lion’s Den with Frank Lutz, worked at the Strand Theatre, played sheepshead with his Beta Chi brothers, drove to JFK’s funeral (almost – the car broke down), and worked at the Milwaukee Journal weekends to pay for college. There he met lifetime friends: John Dunn with whom he would share his first apartment and a lot of bad jokes, Bud Reinhold whose sense of humor provided countless laughs and stimulating conversations, and many other special friends. Richard’s favorite wedding photo was that of his groomsmen – the guys.

He did not travel often but when he did, he immersed himself into the community and the people. In Ireland he sought out music, dance and Guinness at the pub. In Amsterdam it was the Van Gogh museum. North Carolina involved a search for the grave of Tom Dula (Tom Dooley of Kingston Trio fame), and in Greece he reveled in all the antiquities, purchased books in Greek and read them, and explored remote areas to find sites relevant to his research, the best of which was Hermes Cave. These memories barely cover the list he made of his life and how much joy they brought.

In his final months, Richard enjoyed the turkeys in the backyard, the budding of trees, the vista from the patio, his conversations in the living room with Kate, and always his research. He was never without a pen and paper and a sense of humor.

He felt blessed and grateful for his life and all those who brought joy into it. Thank you to our many supportive friends and family, to Vitas and Jackie DeYoung for their care and to Bud Reinhold for his friendship, visits and subs – all of which Richard enjoyed.

In lieu of flowers Richard designated and his family request donations be made to the UWM Foundation, Inc. David D. Mulroy Classics Scholarship Fund. For more information on making a contribution, please contact Christina McCaffery cmmakal@uwm.edu/414-229-4963 or click this link to give now: www.give.uwm.edu/MulroyClassicsScholarship. Other choices would be the Milwaukee Rescue Mission or a food bank of your choice. Per his wishes, no services are planned.