William S. Johnston, Sr, 94, of Thomaston died peacefully February 10. He was born February 15, 1922.

His five children and their spouses, Dr Elizabeth Johnston-O'Connor (B.J) and Daniel of Newtown; Catherine and Robert Mullin of Acton, Mass.; William S. Johnston, Jr, of Thomaston; Denise and Robert Cypher of Rye, N.Y.; and Monica and Joseph Pepicelli of Littleton, Mass.; his 13 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild survive him. His wife of 47 years, Catherine McElligott of Waterbury, predeceased him.

Mr Johnston graduated from The Taft School and continued his education at Brown University before entering the Army Air Corps in 1943. As a US Army Air Force captain, he served with distinction flying B-24 Liberators in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater where he was squadron leader on the longest B-24 mission of World War II. Capt Johnston was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, and numerous other awards.

After the war, he graduated Brown and began a successful career in New York as a marketing executive, eventually founding his own advertising and marketing agency, The Johnston Marketing Group in Tarrytown, N.Y. He retired to Thomaston and was active in local politics, having been elected Thomaston town treasurer.

A Mass of Christian Burial was conducted at St Thomas Catholic Church, Thomaston, on Wednesday, February 15, with burial at St Joseph's Cemetery in Waterbury.

The family requests that donations be sent to the International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF), at iwmf.com; or Pets for Vets, 6144 Clark Center Avenue Sarasota, FL 34238, or call 941-927-4963.