The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING JOE JOHNSON
______
HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 12, 2022
Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of former Delegate Joe Johnson of Abingdon, Virginia, who passed away at the age of 90 on August 4, 2022. My friend and former colleague was a true gentleman with a distinguished record of longtime service to Southwest Virginia.
Joseph Pickett Johnson, Jr., was born in Hayter's Gap, Virginia, on December 12, 1931, to Joseph Pickett Johnson, Sr., and Gray Henderson Johnson. He served in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1955, during which he spent a period in the Marshall Islands while nuclear tests took place. After his service, Joe returned to Virginia to earn a bachelor's degree at Emory & Henry College, my alma mater as well, and a law degree at the University of Richmond.
In 1960, Joe started practicing law in Abingdon. Five years later, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Joe served on the House Police and Militia Committee and was a ranking member of the Roads Committee and the Insurance and Banking Committee. Traveling between Abingdon and Richmond was more time-consuming then than now, so in 1969 Joe chose not to run again in order to help his wife Ann raise their three children Mary Jo, Joe III, and Sage. From 1971 to 1989, he served as a substitute judge for the 28th General District Court.
Twenty years after leaving the House of Delegates, he was elected to it again and retained his seat until retiring in 2014. He served on the Finance, Courts of Justice, Commerce and Labor, and Rules Committees. As a delegate from 1994 to 2011, I saw firsthand how effective Joe could be. In his unfailingly friendly manner, he championed the needs of Southwest Virginia. He worked to set up and served as a member of the Virginia Tobacco Commission, was a major contributor to establishing the community college system, and helped establish the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon. Although a Democrat, he was well-liked by colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including me. After his passing, Republicans who served with him or succeeded him have been effusive in their tributes to this gentleman who did so much for our region.
In addition to his service as an elected official, Joe led or was involved in numerous civic and community organizations. He was a member of American Legion Post No. 12 in Abingdon and served as post commander. As a loyal alumnus of Emory & Henry, he served on its Board of Trustees for fourteen years, chairing the board for eight. At the Abingdon Baptist Church he devoutly worshipped at for more than 45 years, he taught Sunday school and served on the Council of Deacons. He was a president of the Washington County Bar Association and a member of the Virginia Bar Association. Other organizations he was a member of included the Abingdon Civitans, Abingdon Masonic Lodge No. 48, Kazim Shriners, Abingdon Chapter No. 182 Order of Eastern Star, and McCabe Lodge No. 56 Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mary Allison ``Ann'' Johnson, Joe's beloved wife of 64 years, passed away just weeks before her husband on July 19. He is survived by daughter Mary Jo Neal and husband Lewis of Abingdon; sons Joseph P. Johnson, III, and wife Kim of Charleston, South Carolina, and Judge Sage Brannon Johnson and wife Bethany of Abingdon; grandchildren Mary Lewis Huffman and husband Chad, Ashley Brooke Hemmer and husband Peter, Mary Catherine Clark and husband Justin, Joseph Zachary Johnson and wife Gracin, Finn Alexander Johnson, and William Pickett Johnson; great-grandchildren Emma Grace Clark, Isley Ann Clark, and Joseph Beckett Johnson; brother James S. Johnson and wife Diana of Abingdon; sister Louise Litwin of Abingdon; and nieces and nephews. I offer them my condolences on the loss of this kind and faithful servant of Southwest Virginia.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 135(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 135(2)
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