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Leslie Paul Johnston, a resident of Las Cruces, died on June 11, 1999 at Memorial Medical Center. He was born on January 30, 1917 in St. Louis, MO to L.B. and Estelle (Boyster) Johnston. In his early career Paul worked as a jeweler and watchmaker. Later he became a quality control manager, working in weaponry and missiles for Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, Hercules Powder Company in Magna, UT, and White Sands Missile Range. He was also involved in the space program at the NASA White Sands Testing Facility. Some of the projects he worked on included the Manhattan Project, the Sargent and Polaris missiles, the Gemini Project, the Apollo emergency escape system, the cooling system for the astronauts space suits and the heat-resistant tiles for the Space Shuttle. Paul loved a good bargain and frequented estate sales and auctions throughout the area. After his retirement, his love of antiques led him to operate Johnston's Antiques and Johnston's Oldies and Goodies. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Ray Johnston of St. Clair, MO and Dale Johnston of Phoenix, AZ. He is survived by his loving wife, Terry and son, Brion and wife, Lisa of Artesia, NM. No funeral services are planned. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the American Lung Association in Paul's memory.
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