Sidney Johnston of Hayes, passed peacefully in his sleep on July, 27, 2026. He was born in Chauncey, West Virginia, in 1938. He was the son of a coal miner who decided to join the Army instead of following in his father Jason’s footsteps. Sid, as he preferred to be called, proudly served in the U.S. Army at Fort Jackson, S.C., with the 10th Airborne Division, then was shipped out from the New York Harbour to Germany aboard the USS General William Mitchell to the 3rd Armored Division Artillery Battalion, where he graduated from the non-commissioned officers’ academy. Then back to the states to Fort Knox, Ky., where he was called to ship out of Seattle, Washington, on the USS General Simon B. Buckner to Korea’s 1st Cavalry Division. After Korea, he was shipped back to the states to Fort Carson, Colo., where he eventually was honorably discharged receiving a Good Conduct Medal in 1962. Upon returning to Virginia, he worked briefly at the Hampton Public Water Works Dept., Riverside Hospital in Newport News as an engineer, and Dow Chemicals in James City County. In 1970, he was employed at Amoco Oil Refinery in Yorktown, Va., where he also served as Secretary-Treasurer of the OCAW. He retired from Amoco in 1995. After his wife Sally retired, they moved to Myrtle Beach, S.C. They loved their time there and met some amazing friends for life. Sid worked part-time as a security officer and met his friend Doc. They loved to carry on, go to car shows and play poker. They finally moved back to Virginia in 2017 where Sid loved doing research for his genealogy book he wrote. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jason and Tennessee Johnston; two brothers, Basil and Pete Johnston, and his loving wife, Sally Spencer Johnston. He is survived by his daughter, Cathy Spencer Bonniville; three nephews, Mike, David and Thomas Johnston, and two nieces, Diana Johnston Spencer and Susan Wilkins. The family would like to share their deep appreciation to Debbie Jefferson, Beth BrannAn and Doug and Robbie Caskey for always being there.

An honors service will be held at Albert Hortons Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, Va., where he will finally join his wife Sally who passed in 2018. Service will be on Tuesday, September 15 at 11 a.m. at Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, 5310 Milners Road, Suffolk, Va. 23434.