Richard William Johnston, Jr.

Richard William Johnston, Jr., 55, of Christiansburg passed away on September 19, 2021 after fighting a long and courageous battle to Covid-19.
He was born on September 17, 1966 in Linwood, California to Richard William Johnston Sr. and Jeanette LaRoche. Richard graduated from Newton High School in 1984 and entered the United States Army. Following his military service, he began his career at Hercules, which ultimately led him to the New River Valley through the Radford Army Ammunition plant, where he saw his career through until his final days.
Richard was preceded in death by his late wife Kimberly Ann Johnston and his father, Richard William Johnston Sr.. He is survived by his daughter Nicole Johnston and fiancé, Johnathan Galante; his granddaughter, his “pride and joy”, Juliana Galante; his mother Jeanette Babus and husband Steve Babus; his sister Carrie Cassady and husband Robert Cassady; his brother Timothy Johnston and wife Donna Johnston; his nephews and nieces including Jimmy Dewald and fiancé Danielle Odonnell, Erin Johnston, Timmy Johnston, Robert Johnston, and Ellie Johnston; his extended family; and the many friends who loved and cared for him as family through his long-lived career at the Arsenal.
Richard will be remembered for his compassionate spirit, his sense of humor and for the light he brought to the lives of his friends and family. NFL Sunday will never be the same without him passionately rooting for the Buccaneers through every win or loss. His deep love for Spiderman, music and animals is something that his family hopes to carry on in his memory. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center, either by phone (540) 382-5795, or through the following link https://www.montgomerycountyva.gov/animal-care/donations
A visitation and celebration of Richard’s life will be held at Horne Funeral Home in Christiansburg on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 with visitation from 12:00pm-2:00pm and a memorial service beginning at 2:00pm. Masks will be required for all services. The family will receive friends following the memorial service.