[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 135 (Friday, August 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E842-E843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          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

[[Page E843]]

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.

                          ____________________