Robert Frederick Johnson; Attorney

Robert Frederick Johnson, a trial attorney who practiced law in Van Nuys for more than 40 years, has died at his Encino home. He was 67.

Johnson died Thursday of a heart attack, said his wife, Patricia Ann Johnson.

Born in Santa Monica, Johnson graduated from Los Angeles High School and was a test pilot for Douglas Aircraft Co. before World War II. During the war, he served as a fighter pilot instructor in the U.S. Army Air Corps, achieving the rank of captain.

After his discharge, Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA in 1947 and a law degree from USC Law School in 1950. He began his law career in 1950 in the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, and the following year opened his practice in Van Nuys.

Johnson, who occasionally served as a judge pro tem and an arbitrator in Van Nuys Municipal Court, was still practicing law at the time of his death. Johnson was a member of Legion Lex at USC and Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity. He was an avid fly-fisherman.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years; sons Christopher Johnson of Thousand Oaks, Timothy Johnson of San Francisco and Robert Patrick Johnson of Danville, Calif.; daughters Jennifer Bills of Tarzana, Robin Johnson of Beverly Hills, Cindy Taber of Seattle and Lynda Morris of Olathe, Kan., and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Church of the Hills at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, in the Hollywood Hills. Forest Lawn Mortuary, Hollywood Hills, is handling the arrangements.

The family is establishing a memorial fund in Johnson’s name at Valley Presbyterian Hospital.