On October 30, 1928, Leo Johnson was born to William and Ida (Benford) Johnson. He departed this life January 19, 2023, at the age of 94. He grew up on a 160-acre farm in Boley, Oklahoma, and was the youngest and the last of a blended family of fifteen children, ten sons and five daughters. Leo's great-grandmother, Alisa Mothershed, raised his father, William, after his parents died. Grandma Alisa lived as a slave for 100 years and as a free woman for only five years. She died at the age of 105.

The entire family was known to be hardworking and very active. They were said to have had "good genes" with several remaining in good health and living well into their 90s. Two of his brothers even lived to be over 100 years old. The family loved to sing, and often at the end of a long workday they could be heard singing a four-part harmony well into the night. They would also sing at various church events as well as during the Boley Campmeeting. He had a rich bass voice and enjoyed singing throughout his life.

In 1947, he met Lucille Taylor at a church revival in Hoffman, Oklahoma. Shortly thereafter, a courtship blossomed, and they were married on April 2, 1950. They shared 56 years together until she passed away on April 8, 2006. Their fervent love for one another was always evident. He fondly referred to her as his "Lovey-Dovey" or "Sweet Lucy." To the end, they remained committed to each other and their relationship. After their marriage, they lived a short time in Oklahoma before moving to Kansas, where they spent several years. In 1959, with a family of six, they moved to Okmulgee. And while in Okmulgee, the family grew from six to eleven and the house on Smith Street became a haven for neighborhood children.

He loved farming, gardening, and livestock. He taught his children, especially his sons, how to work hard and to stick with the task until the job was completed, no matter how severe the weather or how long it took. There are many memories shared by his children of taking care of different animals including chickens, goats, cattle, hogs, horses, and sheep. Early in his adult life, he worked as a butcher in several meat processing plants in Kansas and Oklahoma. He became very proficient and for a while held a record of skinning the most cattle in an hour. Long after he stopped butchering, he took great care and pride in keeping his knives sharpened and passed that skill on to a few of his children. He was industrious, mechanically-inclined, and an entrepreneur which led him to start quite a few business ventures. One of his most successful ventures was Johnson Sanitation Service which he established in 1975 by going door to door. It started out with only a flatbed truck and a few customers and grew to more than 10,000 commercial and residential customers with contracts serving the cities of Kiefer, Kellyville, and Glenpool. In 1989, he started Class Disposal Service with his youngest son, Chauncy, to offer weekly trash removal in the rural areas. This company also began with Dad Leo
going door to door and grew to more than 1500 customers.

In his later years, he kept busy by spending time with his older brother, Jewel, in California. They would talk on the phone and visit each other's homes often reflecting on their youth. They loved visiting family and friends, sharing chores, and talking about new business projects they'd like to start. Yes, they were both in their late 80s planning their next great venture. He loved the Lord and remained a constant spiritual example to his family. He, along with the family, attended the Church of God in Okmulgee where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. In 1983, he and his wife felt a  call to move to Muskogee in an effort to help establish a church ministry there. He is fondly remembered for closing each service out by saying, "We've been together quite some time..." After selling the chapel in Muskogee, they began attending services at the Church of God congregation in Tulsa. They often visited other local congregations to support revivals and camp meetings, along with visiting sick and shut-in saints and friends. Dad was a faithful member of the Tulsa congregation until his death.

Daddy Leo was preceded in death by his wife, Lucille; siblings; two daughters, Carol and Shirley; two sons, Roy and Gerard; and three grandchildren.

He leaves to cherish his memory: his four sons, Myron Johnson, Dale Johnson, Darrell (Kimberly) Johnson, and Chauncy (Crystal) Johnson; three daughters, Linda Montgomery, Beverly (Tracy) Anderson, and Donna Johnson; son-in-law, Carlos Arriaga; special niece, Betty Gracey; special family friend, Doris Clay; 32 grandchildren, 37 great- grandchildren, and 17 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, saints, and friends.

Funeral services for Mr. Johnson will be held on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 10:00 AM in the Rayfield Baptist Church. Burial will follow the ceremony in the Memorial Park Cemetery of Muskogee.

You may visit Mr. Johnson, as he slumbers in peaceful repose in the Keith D. Biglow Funeral Directors, Inc., of Muskogee on Thursday, between the hours of 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM.