Obituary of Crosby Ted Johnson

Appleton, Maine--Crosby Edward “Ted” Johnson, 89 passed away March 17, 2017 in Englewood, FL ., in much the same way as he lived his life, with gratitude, dignity, and strength with the love of his family by his side. Ted was born September 15, 1927 to Crosby Lincoln and Helen (Meservey) Johnson at their riverside home in North Appleton, Maine. Ted was a life long resident of Appleton. He started his career at Robbins lumber at the age of 16 and went on to become a self employed logger. He attended local schools and graduated from Appleton High School. Through his hard work he was able to purchase several acres of woodland in Peasetown. This became his haven and he spent much of his life working the land. He purchased his first school bus in 1964. Ted was probably best known for his safe transporting of generations of Appleton school students for 31 years. He took great pride in his driving skills and punctuality and especially the relationships developed with the kids over the years. Ted was a rugged outdoorsman who was right at home in the woods: cutting, chopping, hunting, and fishing; more of the latter two after moving on to retirement in 1995. He was invested in and proud of his lawn grooming, often seen engaging in a combination of mowing and sunbathing. A bit of a prankster, those who knew him may recall being teased and then hearing his delighted chuckle at the result. He loved his family and friends deeply and shared a special bond with his sister Polly, as hardly a day went by without them checking in with each other. He could at times be overheard grumbling over being invited to yet another family outing, only to attend and enjoy the fellowship, as much, if not more than anyone at the event. He was a loyal fan of local sports and well known for cheering on his offspring and community athletes from the bleachers and fields. Ted had a great singing voice and could often be heard belting out a tune or whistling away at his North Appleton home on the hill. When he wasn’t driving bus or working in the woods, he would be tinkering on something, a school bus, one of his treasured Ford pickups, an antique vehicle, a lawnmower, a chainsaw, you name it, he could fix it. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years Anne (Hamlin) Johnson; sisters: Pauline Hill of Searsmont and Sharon Bartlett of Westbrook; son Crosby (Lee) Johnson; daughter Katherine Bouchard and companion Gordon; son Rick Johnson and wife Wanda all of Appleton, ME; grandchildren: Shawn Bouchard and wife Michelle of Somerville; Shelley Hickey and husband Wayne of W. Gardiner; Jared Johnson of Gulfport, MS; Joseph Johnson of Bradenton, FL; Johanna Pyle and husband Nathan of Woodburn, IN; Loretta McCue and husband Matt of Waldoboro; Erika Johnson of Milwaukee, WI; Crosby Lincoln Johnson of Portland; David Johnson of Union; great-grandchildren: Monique Bouchard and fiancé Joey Bearce of Windsor; Jacky Porter and husband Jared of Thomaston; Derek Bouchard and his companion Liz of Jefferson; Holton, Andrew and Gabriel Johnson of Gulfport, MS; Cameo, Lila Jade, Isabel and Israel Farias and Ellie Pyle all of Woodburn, IN; Cole and Caden Hickey of W. Gardiner; great-great grandchildren: Ayden Basinet and Peyton Porter of Thomaston and Aleeya and Avry Bearce of Windsor as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews; Special foster daughter, Diane Quinn of Pittston; and many, many extended family members, special neighbors and friends.