It’s a sad day for the San Diego sports community. Ramona Johnston, wife of longtime Chargers Public Relations Director Bill Johnston, has passed away.
In 1999, Ramona was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that steals the ability to speak, along with several other motor skills.
She eventually moved full time into a San Diego-area hospital. Every single day he was home, Bill would visit her, talking about current events or what was going on with their two children.
They both graduated from Helix High School and were married in the early 1980s. They raised their kids in San Diego. Their life story and their love story is ingrained in San Diego.
So, when the Chargers moved to Los Angeles, Bill stayed home to be with his wife.
He had spent nearly four decades with the team but wanted to ensure Ramona kept receiving the best care possible in the place where she was comfortable. Fittingly, he now works with the San Diego Padres front office.
Bill would physically push Ramona, in her wheelchair, in the Rock ‘N Roll Marathon for years, securing donations with every mile.
Local
He organized the “Shoot to Cure HD” event, an annual basketball contest that was always wildly popular, looking for a cure that does not yet exist. To date, those fundraising efforts total more than $3 million.
By all accounts, Ramona Johnston was one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet. To make a donation to Huntington’s Disease research visit this website.
Bill posted this touching tribute to his wife on Facebook Friday:
