William Johnson's Obituary
William Hollis Johnson, Jr. was born in Stevenson , Alabama on May 13, 1929 to Nancy Mae Smith Johnson and William Hollis Johnson, Sr.. Jesus called and He left this troubled world in peace on August 6, 2007 to join his beloved family who had gone before him to live in Heaven, whole complete and without pain.
He attended and graduated Jackson County High School in. He met the love of his life Joycelyn Dean and they were married in _1949. They recently celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on March 2.They were not married long when he was called to serve willingly in the army. He served in the Korean War from 1951 to 1952.
He served in the National Guard for 39 years 10 months and retired in 1988 as 1st sergeant. He also was the Alabama State Defense Force Major. Among many of his achievements, he was the Grand Marshall of the Scottsboro Christmas parade. He was actively involved in the military the majority of his life. He built his rank with pride and dedication.
He lived his life always “doing unto others and he would have them do unto him.” He was not only a fair man, he was honest, trustworthy, and was a hard worker from an early age. His family moved to Scottsboro in 1940 and opened a small plumbing shop on the corner of Laurel and Cedar Hill Drive . His father taught him the trade and it grew into the largest plumbing business in Scottsboro. He not only learned to operate large pieces of equipment, he learned the process of doing a job right and treating people with respect and doing the job correctly. He carried this trait with him for the rest of his life. He worked with his father until _1976 when Mayor Owens asked him to take the position of Street Department Superintendent. He worked as the head of the department until the day he died. He would have still been there if it were not for this sickness. He held this position for 31 years. In the time he held this position he gave his all. He considered the people in the department as friends and he held high in honor the fine jobs that were completed during his term. It was not a job, it was an honor to further the standard of living for the people of Scottsboro and he wanted the jobs to be done in a way that you could stand back and really be proud of what had been accomplished. He taught them the same standards that he had learned growing up. He was known near and far for this ability. He was available to his job 24 hours a day. He responded to all calls and those who worked with him knew that he would be there for help and were able to call on him at any time. They were always welcome at his home. He was loved dearly not only as a boss but as a friend and will be missed deeply.
What’s your fondest memory of William?
What’s a lesson you learned from William?
Share a story where William's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with William you’ll never forget.
How did William make you smile?