Johnny Wayne Johnson

Johnny Wayne Johnson, age 84, passed away Friday, May 3rd at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Johnny was born February 19,1940 to the late Everett and Pearl Johnson.

He served as military police in the US Army from 1959-1961 stationed in Germany and never tired of telling stories of his time there. He was owner/operator of Pine Ridge Shell for many years followed by a stint as owner/operator of Lowgap Texaco and Grill. Following that, he served as an ordnance officer with Surry County and a correctional/maintenance officer with the Forsyth County Correctional Center. While retired in Sebring, Florida, he managed the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and served as donations coordinator. When he and Geraldine returned to Mt. Airy to spend time with family, Johnny held numerous roles at Scenic Automotive. His date of death also marked his 60 year anniversary as a mason serving the Round Peak Masonic Lodge 616 as lodge master and through other leadership roles during that time. Johnny was an active member of several churches throughout his life, the most recent being Temple Baptist Church of Mt. Airy since 2017.

Johnny Wayne Johnson (he liked to say the whole thing) is survived by his wife of nearly 30 years, Geraldine Johnson; 2 children - Jeff Johnson (and partner, Virginia) and Rika Sutphin (and husband Nicky); seven grandchildren - Matt Johnson (and wife Carrie), Heidi Johnson (and wife Amanda), Cyndel Kelly (and husband Ryan), Cody Seal (and husband Sam), Jessie Tilley (and husband Chris), Jordyn Johnson, and Jade Johnson; five great grandchildren - Landon, Ashton, Gemma, Beau, and Keyan; 3 step-children - Allison Collins, Keith Collins (and wife Faye), and Chad Collins (and partner Jon); 2 step grandchildren, Austin Collins (and wife Bri) and Nickee Blizzard (and husband Jacob); 3 step great grandchildren - AB, Vaughn, and Asher. Johnny is also survived by a sister, Janie Hiatt (and husband Wayne), one very special niece, Debby Frost, and other nieces and nephews. Johnny was friend to many through the years; friends Mark Vogler, Rosalyn (Demi) Thompson, and Theresa Dickens provided daily support to Johnny and Geraldine as he battled multiple myeloma.  

In addition to his parents, Johnny was preceded in death by a son, Johnny Wayne Johnson II (Chuck), 2 sisters - Joann House (and husband Ron) and Faye Hodges (and husband Jack), one brother - James Johnson, and an infant sister, Mary Lee. His best friend and Army buddy, Carl Hall, with whom he talked everyday for 62 years, died earlier in 2024.   

In true Johnny fashion of always caring for others, he donated his body to scientific research through Wake Forest. A memorial service will be held at Temple Baptist Church on June 1, 2024 at 2:00 PM.

The family would like to thank Novant Cancer Institute of Mt Airy for providing extraordinary care to Johnny and ongoing support to Geraldine. Should you feel compelled to honor Johnny’s memory, please make a donation to the American Cancer Society.