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Lucius Edward Johnson, 94, of Richmond, VA, died on May 20, 2024. He was born on July 2, 1929, in Roanoke, VA, to Lucius Carson Johnson and Frances Thomas Johnson Ramsey. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Liz) Howard Johnson; step-children Karen Omohundro (Jeff) and Tom Harris; step-grandsons Kevin and Jack Omohundro, all of Richmond , VA; daughter Virginia Johnson Burnley (Jim) of Alexandria, VA; sons Edward Roberts Johnson II of Los Angeles, CA and William Thomas Johnson of Summerfield, NC; grandsons Connor Thomas Johnson and William Cameron Johnson of Chapel Hill, NC; and nieces Liza Pence Urso of Dallas, TX and Caroline Brand of Charlottesville, VA. His first wife, Rebecca (Becky) Hurt Johnson, predeceased him in 1992. His younger brother, George Parker Johnson of Flat Rock, NC, predeceased him in 1999.
Lucius grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, where he became an Eagle Scout prior to attending Saint James School in Hagerstown, MD. He attended Washington and Lee University (W&L) in Lexington, Virginia, for three years where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. His education was interrupted by the outbreak of the Korean War. He served in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1955 as a navigator on B-29 and C-124 aircraft.
At the conclusion of the war, he was honorably discharged from the Air Force as a First Lieutenant and returned to W&L. After he graduated from W&L with a B.A. degree in History one year later, he and his wife Becky moved to Greensboro, NC, where Lucius worked as an accountant and was a founding member of Saint Francis Episcopal Church before moving with his young family to Reidsville, NC, where he managed local branch operations at Wachovia Bank & Trust Company.
He served as President of the United Way of Reidsville, Chairman of the Rockingham County Republican Party and was an active member of Saint Thomas Episcopal Church where he sang in the church choir and served on the vestry for many years. One of his favorite annual events was flipping pancakes and serving plates to the sold-out crowd at the church’s annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. He was also active in the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce and founded the local chapter of Junior Achievement in Reidsville.
He loved sharing evenings in Reidsville with close friends and his family gathered around the piano in his living room on Pennrose Drive enjoying cocktails and singing Broadway tunes and old standards late into the night. He particularly enjoyed the music of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Roger Miller, Richard Rodgers, Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, traditional Episcopal hymns, and Christmas carols. With overnight houseguests, he delighted in darkening the house and playing Sardines.
Having acquired an impressive familiarity with the night sky during his Air Force training, he enjoyed identifying the constellations while stargazing in his backyard in Reidsville on clear nights.
His family was one of the first in North Carolina to host a foreign exchange high school student in their home through the AFS Exchange Program. In 1976, Lucius led the initiative for his family to host Marilia Dalva Turchi from Brazil in the Johnsons’ home for 13 months during which she attended Reidsville Senior High School for her senior year in high school. Lucius and the Johnson family maintained an exceptionally close relationship with Marilia that spanned several decades.
Following the death of his first wife in 1992, his longtime friend Bob Davenport introduced him to his neighbor, Liz, and after a storybook courtship, the two were married in 2001. Lucius relocated to Lynchburg, became an active member in Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, and joined a vibrant men’s prayer group. He and Liz enjoyed many happy years in Lynchburg before moving to Richmond in 2018.
Lucius enjoyed a lifelong interest in American history, particularly the Civil War, as well as music, pier fishing and crabbing, politics and sports. He was a skilled tennis player and avid walker who also devoted countless hours over the course of many decades enthusiastically following the Washington Redskins and Duke basketball. He shared his homes with many pets throughout his life and harbored a special affection for his beloved dogs Zeke, Pitou, Lola, Boutiques, Spooky and Daisy, and cats Sam, Tom, Mike, and Ivan.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the dedicated and compassionate staff and medical professionals at Henrico Doctors Hospital, Our Lady of Hope Health Center, and Legacy Hospice who supported Lucius in Richmond during the weeks of his final illness, particularly Jenna Swann, Dr. Prem Nair, Tiffany Martin, Edward Kintu, Jessica Liberti, and Nick Roche.
The family will celebrate his life at a memorial service that will be scheduled at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a memorial contribution to a local animal rescue shelter of your choosing or to the American Battlefield Trust at https://www.battlefields.org/give (Memorial and Special Occasion Gifts).
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