He will be missed: Charlie Johnston, 32-year employee of School District 16

Because he touched the lives of so many for so long -- staff, students, and parents -- we wanted to both honor his memory and to make sure that  the school community was aware of the passing of 32-year employee Charlie Johnston on Friday, Oct. 12.

A valued employee of the district since 1981, he was a good friend to many and a fixture in a number of schools where he served as head custodian at Woodcrest Elementary from 1997-2001, at Westwood Elementary/Intermediate from 2002-2011, and again at Woodcrest Elementary where he returned in 2012.

Visitation and funeral details are available here.

Many have their special Charlie stories, that will now become cherished memories that will last forever. "He was one of a kind, and touched the lives of many of our staff and students in over 30 years of service. He touched mine," Dr. Jeff Ronneberg, superintendent said. "He was one of the first to greet me when I first arrived at Woodcrest Elementary as the new principal. I have known him for 15 years, and throughout this time I have always enjoyed our conversations, enjoyed joking around with him and giving him a hard time, and he most definitely enjoyed giving me a hard time in return. He was a great guy. I will miss him."