San Bernardino County Obituaries

Albert Neil Johnstone

Submitted by Peggy Hooper 1 Feb 2008

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"Big Bear Grizzly"; Date Unknown

Albert Neil Johnstone 
95, passed Sept. 30, 2004 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mr. Johnstone was born Dec 21, 1908 
in Craik, Saskatchewan, the son of Elias Conrad and Anna Rollo Johnstone. He was raised 
in Craik and attended Ross Collegiate in Moosejaw. He graduated from Jefferson High School 
in Los Angeles. Mr. Johnstone was a linotype operator for the Los Angeles Examiner, The 
Big Bear Life and Grizzly newspaper in Big Bear Lake, the Huntmgton Park Signal, and the 
Hollywood Daily Variety.

He lived in Whittier from 1950-1977. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in World War II. 
He  was an instructor of airplane mechanics at Merced Army Air Field. He then applied for  
gunnery school and became a flight engineer on a B-17. He received the Presidential  
Citation for bombing raids on the German oil refinery at Ploesti.

Mr. Johnstone loved sports. He played junior hockey in Canada, Triple A softball in Los  
Angeles in the 30s; and at age 40 he broke the home run record in the San Bemardino  
Mountain League. He received a 10-in-l-row patch from the American Bowling Congress.  
After retirement he took up golf and won several tournaments in Hemet and Riverside, Calif.  
He spent his later years in Greendale, Wisconsin with his second wife, Gert. Survivors  
include a son, James, of Hillsboro, Oregon; a daughter, Sharon Matthews of Piano, Texas; 
grand-daughter, Naomi Memnaugh of Portland, Oregon; grandson, Stuart  Matthews and 
granddaughter, Joan Mathews, both of Plano, Texas.