Robert Wayne Johnson

Robert Wayne Johnson, resident of Pleasant Hill, author, railroad man , amateur actor, and loveable curmudgeon passed away November 4, 2020. He was 81 years old.
Wayne was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fla., the son of Robert Mitchell Johnson and Corethia Estelle (Harris). He graduated from the University of Florida, served in the Navy--during the Cuban missile crisis--and then earned a law degree from Emory University in Atlanta.
This last would lead to a career as a government bureaucrat, where Wayne worked for the Interstate Commerce Commission and as an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration.
Wayne's career would take him to Washington DC, where he met Ida Elizabeth Hearn. They married in 1971 and later moved to the Bay Area where they had two children. Wayne and Ida celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary in October with their family.
Descending from a long line of railroad men, Wayne was an avid train-watcher and model railroader. He is the author of Through the Heart of the South: The Seaboard Airline Railroad Story and several articles in Lines South magazine about the history of his favorite railroad.
Wayne enjoyed the outdoors, travel, and walks with his family. A natural storyteller and bona fide ham, Wayne spent his retirement acting in numerous local theater productions and sharing his love of history as a volunteer docent at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, California State Railroad Museum and other organizations.
Wayne is survived by his wife Ida, children Adam and Karen, sister Denise Anderson, cousins Virginia 'Ginger' Hinds and David Harris and their families.
Wayne did not wish for a service and will be interred privately. Donations can be made in his honor to the California State Railroad Museum Foundation or the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association.