Doing the right thing was crucial for Terry Johnson. Arriving at a course of action guided by his integrity and studying all sides of an issue were also non-negotiables. Friends and family say it helped him surmount a number of challenges — including nearly lifelong medical issues.
When he was 9 years old, he was diagnosed with Type 1 (childhood onset) diabetes. Doctors cautioned his parents that the disease might shorten his life. Heart, vision and balance issues dogged him, much of them traceable back to the disease, said a family member.
“He was determined he was going to live through it and have the best life, and Terry had a great life” said his cousin, Gerald Johnson.
lt was a life including a well-regarded real estate career and a 10-year stretch as a state representative in the Georgia General Assembly which saw him help move the needle on several important state and local issues.
“He was such a genuinely nice guy,” said Mary Frances Williams, who now holds Johnson’s 37th District House seat based in Marietta. She said he was unsparing in his help as she ran for office.
Johnson, 74, died Aug. 23 after several health issues including pneumonia and a fall. He’s survived by wife Nancy, sons Brett and Pat and sisters Mary Sanford and Sandra Perkins. Funeral Services were held Aug. 28.
It was a fellow Democrat, former Gov. Roy Barnes, who encouraged him to run for public office in 2000. Barnes stressed that the Gold Dome needed more lawmakers cut from the same cloth, as “someone more interested in (serving) the common good than the personal good.”
“He was a little reluctant, and I said, that’s exactly why you needed to run,” Barnes said.
Friends and political observers say Johnson’s House tenure was marked by a focus on education, health care and transparency in government.
Not to mention a battle over the then-state flag, with its prominent Confederate battle emblem that rankled minority groups. Barnes pushed for a redesign, and Johnson stood with him, helping persuade other House freshmen to support the narrowly approved plan.
David McGinnis, a family member and fellow Baptist church deacon, said he and Johnson prayed and debated over it and “when it all boiled down to the pros and cons, Terry said, ‘David, it’s the right thing to do.’”
Johnson took that sense of service and sound deliberation into other matters, playing a significant role in a measure upgrading the state’s technical schools to college status.
And there was a not-inconsequential linkage between his devotion to exercise and the development of the Silver Comet Trail running from South Cobb to the Alabama state line. The state bought an abandoned rail line with the notion that it could be turned into a transit link to a possible major new Paulding County airport. That plan fell out of favor.
“(Then) Terry said we needed to make it into a walking trail,” said Barnes. “I had never thought about that, and then when he was in the legislature he made sure it got extended all the way out to the Alabama line.” He also shepherded plans and funding through the legislative process.
Friends and cohorts say he became a frequent visitor to the Silver Comet, sometimes taking 60- or 70-mile or more bike rides.
Johnson applied his skills to more individualized challenges as well.
“If you lived in his district and you had a battle, it became Terry’s battle,” said Gerald Johnson.
And he had an ability to win admirers and friends on both sides of the political aisle.
Not only did he soak up knowledge, he liked to impart it as well, occasionally in a whimsical way. Johnson’s cousin remembers a dance lesson which grew out of the two young boys talking about an upcoming school dance.
“He said, ‘Who are you going with?’ And I said, ‘I have no idea, and I don’t even know how to dance,” he recalled.
Johnson offered to teach him.
“We were in the mule lot behind my granddad’s barn and we were swaying back and forth. We looked up and there was my granddad peeking around the side of the barn. He just shook his head and walked off.”
Johnson left an imprint on those Austell Road stamping grounds and West Cobb in general. As a top-flight realtor, he frequently acted as an agent for those selling land to developers, helping pave the way for today’s extensive development of the area, said friend Darrell Baxter.
Those close to him say his signature approach was working on problems while not leading the marching band and not taking credit for what he did.
“He was a true statesman,” said Baxter.
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