Dr. Robert "Bob" Johnson, Jr.

Augusta, GA – On January 26, 2025, Dr. Robert “Bob” Harvey Johnson, Jr., 92, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. 

Bob was born May 22, 1932 in Jackson, Mississippi to Robert Harvey Johnson, Sr. and Marion Gertrude Fynes. The family moved to Princess Anne, Maryland while he was a young boy. Just a few years later, his mother died and he was thereafter raised by his father and his aunt, Helen Marshall Fynes Johnson. He attended Princess Anne Elementary School, then Washington High School for grades eight through ten. Bob attended The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey for his Junior and Senior years of high school where he graduated with honors while playing basketball. Bob was offered a full basketball scholarship to the University of Maryland which he declined, instead, deciding to attend Duke University. He was offered a spot as a walk-on for the Duke University basketball team as a Freshman. After much thought, he declined the offer in order to concentrate on his studies to achieve his goal of attending medical school. He graduated from Duke in 1954. 

Bob attended medical school at the University of Maryland graduating Magna Cum Laude. Following a rotating internship at the University of Maryland (studying internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, OBGYN, and emergency room) he was offered residency training in all areas. He selected surgery and spent four years of residency at the University of Maryland. He was awarded a Fellowship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where he studied nuclear medicine - radioactive isotopes, which was the beginning of radiation treatment for oncology patients.

A second Fellowship was awarded and Bob spent two years at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas to study oncology. From Houston he went to the National Institute of Health for three years in Bethesda, Maryland with a focus on surgical oncology. Subsequently he was hired by the University of Maryland as an Associate Professor where he practiced for seven years. In 1973 he moved with his wife and three young daughters to Augusta, Georgia to begin work at The Medical College of Georgia as a Professor and Chief of Surgical Oncology where he retired in 1994.

It was in Oak Ridge where he met his wife of 62 years, Carolyn Anne Underwood. They were married September 30, 1961, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Bob was a member of numerous medical societies and was honored to be named one of MD Anderson’s top 30 doctors at the institution’s 30 year anniversary celebration. He often was asked to speak at conferences and medical society meetings around the Country. 

Bob was a lifetime student of genealogy, researching both nationally and abroad leading him to author several books on his own family history. To say he was an avid reader is an understatement, filling a home library with thousands of books across all genres with an emphasis in history and literature. His quest for knowledge continued well after retirement – challenging himself on a variety of subjects especially mathematics and physics. Bob remained an absolute fan of Duke basketball and you never saw him without his Duke hat.

Family members include his daughters: Kristin Gail Johnson, Teresa Johnson Seward (William Henry Seward, Jr.), and Courtnay Johnson Capps (Stephen Brian Capps); and grandchildren: William Henry Seward III, Robert Carter Seward (Katie), Caroline Morgan Capps, and Anne Carter Capps, as well as a brother, James Clarence Johnson (Patricia Ann Murphey Johnson), and nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife, he is preceded in death by his sister, Gail Bickford Johnson Price, and brother-in-law Phillip Randolph Price. A very special thank you to dedicated, loving caregivers Cynthia Young and Katherine Major.

Following a private service at Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta, GA, on January 29, 2025, interment will be at Westover Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Anne Underwood Johnson Memorial Garden Fund at Church of the Good Shepherd, 2230 Walton Way, Augusta, Georgia 30904.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484.