Harold Lee Johnston, 87, died at his home in Camdenton, MO, on Monday, July 20, 2026.
No formal service is planned at this time. He was cremated and his ashes will be buried in Dale Blair Cemetery in Camdenton, MO.
Mr. Johnston, son of Homer and Theodora Johnston, was born on July 19, 1939, in Hillsboro. He was a member of the Hillsboro High School graduating class of 1957. He was married to the late Rita Rae Rogers in Boulder City, NV, in 1960, and they had three children, Trudi, Jodi and Mark. On Jan. 27, 1979, he married Nancy Evington Scott, and she survives. At the time of his passing, they had been married 47 years.
He went to California shortly after graduation from Hillsboro High School. He worked as a lineman for Pacific Telephone and was fond of climbing poles into his middle age just to show he could still do it. His two daughters were born in California, before moving to the St. Louis area in the late 1960s. His son was born in St. Louis. He worked there for Bennett Paper Corporation until moving in 1977 to be the Resident Manager at the Kansas City branch of Bennett. He subsequently worked for National Steel and Performance Materials.
It was in Kansas City that Mr. Johnston met and married Nancy. He already had a babysitter lined up for his ten-year-old son, when his date had to cancel. On a whim, he called Nancy who he had only met briefly once before. That one last-minute date turned into almost 50 years together.
After retirement, the couple moved to the Camdenton, MO, area. They joined Community Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He found great joy in helping others. He was passionate about ringing bells for the Salvation Army. He signed up for almost every day throughout the Christmas season. He would drive by to make sure someone was covering the Walmart door at other times, and if there was not a ringer, he would jump out and cover another shift. He delivered Meals on Wheels for many years, often returning to a client’s home after finishing his deliveries to help persons with a needed repair or a specific project. He was happy to help with driving persons to and from doctors’ or rehab appointments. He was a committed blood donor, donating many gallons of blood. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, boating and tinkering in his garage.
Mr. Johnston is remembered by his son and adult grandchildren for his love, as an example of how to treat his fellow human beings, his patience and his sense of humor. No matter how stoic he seemed, a joke or funny face was always just a moment.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy Johnston; son, Mark Alan Johnston of Camdenton, MO; adult grandchildren, Mark Johnston, Mike Kazlaskia, Roy Blake, Christopher Blake, Marshall Blake and Mat Blake, all of Colorado, Melissa Blake, Nicole Blake, Ryan Blake and Jodi Blake, all of Nevada, and Anne Koudelka of Oregon; numerous great-grandchildren; great-great-grandchildren; and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; birth mother, Clarice Perigo Johnston; siblings, Gertrude Southwick, John Charles Johnston and Mary Helen Botkin; and his beloved daughters, Trudi Blake and Jodi Koudelka.
