John Armpstead Johnson II, 88, formerly of Wyoming, Ohio, and Amelia Island, Fla., passed away peacefully on Dec. 3, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Graveside services will be 1:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Henderson City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the charity of your choice and asks that you do a small thing to leave the world a better place.
He was born in Henderson, the son of the late Arpmstead Meeks Johnson and the late Nancy Thomas Johnson. He was the devoted husband of the late Glenda Johnson (nee Griffin) who was also from Henderson.
After attending high school, he enrolled at the University of Mississippi where he studied engineering, was a member of the Army ROTC and belonged to the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship upon graduation from Ole Miss and spent the year of his Fulbright Fellowship, which coincided with the first year of marriage to Glenda, studying civil engineering in Paris, France.
Upon his return to the U.S., he began a career with Procter & Gamble. His career with P & G took him and his young family all over the U.S., as he proved himself a successful leader, manager and mentor. His pride in the success of others and abilities as a commonsense manager took him to the highest echelons of leadership at Procter and Gamble, retiring as Division Manager of Manufacturing with the Folgers Coffee Division having served an equivalent role as the Division Manager of Manufacturing of the Soap Division.
After retirement, he and Glenda made an active life together for 30 plus years on Amelia Island, Fla. He embraced his friends, his golf game, restoring antique MG automobiles, serving as a general contractor for the construction of two homes and philanthropy raising funds to support The Nassau County Big Brothers Big Sisters and United Way. His personal motto, admonition to his daughters and grandchildren, and guiding philosophy was to “leave this world better than you found it.” He served in leadership of the Amelia Island Plantation Community Association and exhibited a unique style that made him beloved by the community employees as well as the property owners. He was responsible for leading the security function in a very complex property to the benefit of employees, resort guests and permanent residents alike.
Known to his beloved wife as “Jack,” to his children and grandchildren as “Big Jack,” to his friends as “Jackie, John, Johnny, and JJ,” he was a true southern gentleman. He had many passions in life but none as deep as his love and devotion to his family. That love and devotion is felt in return by his family and his passing is a profound loss. His humbleness, legacy of love and devotion, along with his quick wit and lively sense of humor lives on in his children and grandchildren.
He is survived by his daughters, Jacqueline (John) Hicks of Nashville and Jennifer (Bruce) Hall of Cincinnati, Ohio; grandchildren, Jack (Leigh) Hicks of Nashville, Allison (Carter) Younts of Nashville, Amelia Hall of Lexington, Ky., and Anna Hall of Cincinnati, Ohio; and his sister, Nancy Johnson Morris of Memphis.
