Harry T. ‘Buz,’ Johnson, Jr., 85, passed away, surrounded by his loved ones, on Patriots’ Day, April 20, 2020 at University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, Worcester, from a bacterial infection that arose while he was recovering from a broken leg. Beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, neighbor, and true patriot, Buz was a son of the late Harry T. Johnson and Allevina E. Benson. He was born in Milford on May 28, 1934 and graduated from Medway High School in 1952. In his youth he was active in student government, track, baseball, and he was selected MVP of the Medway High School football team. He helped with the family businesses- milking, planting, haying, driving delivery and mail trucks, and doing construction work. He distinguished himself at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as class president in his junior and senior years and induction into the Senior Men's Honor Society, graduating in 1956 with a degree in English and a commission as Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army through the ROTC Program.
He was a highly decorated citizen soldier during his twenty-plus-year Army career, serving two years in Germany, more than nine years in Vietnam, and five years at the Pentagon. Among the many citations awarded by both the U.S. and South Vietnam governments were three Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals, two Joint Service Commendation Medals, Vietnam Campaign Medal with 19 Stars for service in Vietnam from 1963 to 1972, and the National Defense Medal. While in Vietnam he served as liaison/expediter in the construction of Lien Hiep Hospital in Central Vietnam, a project spearheaded by Vernon Hill Legion Post in Worcester and built as a living memorial to service men and women from Worcester County who lost their lives during the war. He was an advisor to Vietnamese units, to the President of South Vietnam and later to the Prime Minister, among other assignments, including overseeing the resettlement of refugees fleeing to cities from their villages to escape the fighting. In 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed him Deputy Director for Security of the Presidential Task Force for Indochina Refugees, and the Army 'loaned' him to the U.S. Department of State to perform this task. In this capacity, he helped support the evacuation of refugees from Indochina and assisted in establishing refugee facilities in Guam; Wake Island; Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas; Camp Pendleton, California; and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Over 125,000 refugees were resettled in permanent homes through this program. After retiring from the Army, he again served with the Department of State, directing the Task Force for Resettlement of Cuban and Haitian Refugees at Ft. Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. He also served on the staff of the National Special Olympics, working with the executive director and helping to energize fundraising efforts in the formative years of that organization. In 1986 he was invited to travel to El Salvador with the Pro-Democracy Committee (PRODEMCA) of Arlington, Virginia, as an election observer. In 1993 he served as crisis CEO of Cultural Survival, Inc., a Cambridge organization.
In 1981 he returned to Medway with his wife and sons, Joshua and Harry. He was active at his church, in Scouting, youth soccer, youth hockey, school and community activities, Demolay, the Medway Republican Town Committee, and several town committees. He was elected to the Board of Assessors, where he served for over twenty-five years, and to the Board of Selectmen for one term. In 1988, he was a candidate for state representative. He was chosen Medway Good Government Citizen of the Year, Republican of the Year, Grand Marshall of the Memorial Day Parade, and most recently was honored as Grand Marshall of the 2019 Holiday Parade in Medway.
Buz believed that his extensive experience in the military, the State Department, and in local government gave him insight into the importance of public service at local and state levels. "It is important for government to be fair at every level," he often said. "The life blood of government is the people. It is vital that the people participate in government, especially at the local level, so that there is a constant flow of new, energetic, highly charged, enriching sources of life blood. That way, it stays healthy and honest. If this is done, people will have more influence on state and federal government because those two bodies will realize the real source of power is with the local government. This allows the people to have stronger and more effective control and input into state and federal government. Without this, state and federal government will be overly influenced by private interest groups which can buy influence through massive media advertising."
He was predeceased by his brothers, George and Ted, and by his sisters, Frances Lemay, Virginia Brennan, and Marjorie Rice. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne (Williams), his sons, Joshua and his wife, Elizabeth, and Harry III, his grandchildren, Wyatt, Westley, and Clara Johnson, and many nieces and nephews, all of whom mourn the loss of this special, beloved man who had an opinion on just about everything.
Due to the complications and restrictions regarding the Covid-19 Virus, burial of his ashes, with military honors, will take place at Oakland Cemetery at the convenience of the family; a memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in his memory to Christ Episcopal Church, 14 School Street, Medway, or Disabled American Veterans (DAV), VA Regional Office, JFK Federal Bldg, Government Ctr, Boston, MA 02203.
Arrangements are under the care of the Ginley Crowley Funeral Home, 3 Barber St., Medway (www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com).