Richard Johe

Richard Edwin Johe died on Friday, August 2, 2019 having lived a life of devotion to family, service to country, passionate commitment to teaching and a zest for competition.  Richard, known as Dick, was born in Pittsburgh, PA, on May 4, 1932, to Edith (Schwab) Johe and George Howard Johe. In 1950, he graduated midyear from Westinghouse High School where he lettered in both baseball and basketball. At his mother’s urging and with his grandfather’s financial backing he attended Kiski Prep School for a semester where, as first baseman of the baseball team he hit .500 and fielded “31 chances” without an error. In the fall of that year he entered Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, where he lettered in track, football and basketball.  In 1954, after graduating from Dickinson, he married Martha Suzanne (Sue) McCloskey in Philadelphia, PA. Soon after they married, he received a commission in the U.S. Navy. Dick and Sue had two children, Barbara, born in 1956, and Peter, born in 1958, and while he served at sea, the family lived all over the country, with a favorite spot being Coronado, California. Many memories were made crisscrossing the country multiple times by car while they moved to their next destinations. Dick planned their trips to visit a number of National Parks and historic sites, making each one an adventure.  Dick served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years, with tours teaching ROTC at the University of Idaho and the U.S Naval Academy. Following a tour in Vietnam he entered the PhD program at Duke and had a final tour at the State Department in Maritime Affairs.  In 1978 he retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander, and joined Sea Land Service, Inc., a container shipping company then owned by R. J. Reynolds. Even then he couldn’t stay away from teaching and taught early morning classes at St. John’s University. In 1983, Dick was transferred to Winston-Salem to work for Reynolds government affairs department. Tragically that same year, his wife Sue died of cancer.  On August 18, 1984, Dick married Sharon Doyle Spring whom he had known at Sea Land.  In 1987, he retired from Reynolds to teach at Salem College and begin the most professionally rewarding part of his life. His true passion was scholarship and teaching. He earned an MA from University of Idaho (1963), a PhD from Duke University (1975), both in political science. He used the last bit of the GI Bill to earn a teaching certification from Salem and briefly taught in the Winston-Salem public schools. When the opportunity to teach in the Business and Management department at Salem opened, he earned an MBA from UNC-G (1996).  Dick was delighted to receive a Fulbright to teach business and management in Riga, Latvia at the University of Latvia and the Stockholm School of Economics for the fall semester of 1999 and the spring semester of 2001. At the request of the University of Latvia, he spent five more years teaching summer sessions under a separate Fulbright program.  His greatest reward from teaching was not the honor of a Fulbright, but the success of his Salem students in their post college lives. He retired from teaching business and mentoring students at Salem College in 2017 having achieved a goal of having one of his students win a Fulbright for study abroad.  He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church and the Winston-Salem Rose Society, and was devoted to the Winston-Salem Symphony. He had a particular affection for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and all its programs His love for sports never dimmed, and his annual trips to the Army Navy game with his dear friend, Mark Griffin, an Army man, were the stuff of legend. When it came to Duke football he was a loyal and vocal fan through good times and bad.  A hardworking and compassionate man who earned the respect of many, was, above all, a devoted husband, loving father, and adoring grandfather. He was loved by family, and deeply admired by students, colleagues and friends. All will greatly miss his distinctive laugh, warm smile, and huge appetite for ice cream and croissants.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Sue McCloskey; his brothers, David and Howard; his son, Peter; and his grandson, Steven.  Surviving are his wife, Sharon Doyle Johe; his daughter, Barbara Cardenas (Eli) of San Jose, CA; his daughter-in-law, Jennifer Johe (Peter) of Chatham, NJ; two granddaughters, Elizabeth Cardenas of Bend, OR, and Meredith Johe of New York, NY; one grandson, Edwin Cardenas of San Jose, CA; and Sharon’s three children, Margaret Spring of Monterey, CA, Justin Spring of New York, NY, and Arthur Spring of Bethesda, MD; and her grandson, Kelby Spring of Chicago, IL.  A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, August 8, 2019, at Hayworth-Miller Lewisville Chapel with Deacon Martin Sheehan, Jr. officiating. Interment will follow at 1:00 pm at Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, NC.  The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the North Carolina School of the Arts, 1533 South Main St., Winston-Salem, NC 27127.