James F. Johnson, Jr.
December 2, 1944 ~ February 8, 2023 (age 78)

Jim Johnson passed away Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in
Savannah, Georgia. He was born in Smyrna, Tennessee, to the late
James Frank and Lucille Johnson, Sr., both in the U.S. Army. On
October 14, 1944 1st Lieutenant Frank's plane was shot down over
Yugoslavia.
Throughout his life Jim deeply mourned the loss of his father. This
defined his prankster sense of humor and intense pursuit at St. Leo
College Preparatory School, as a journalism and advertising major
at the University of Florida, behind the lens as photographer and
reporter for the Gainesville Sun, and before a jury as a pugnacious
trial attorney. His many aliases allowed him freedom to pursue
colorfully diversified entrepreneurial careers as a corporate recruiter,
M&A business consultant, crime fiction novelist, 2D wildlife acrylic
painter, and importer. Jim traveled the globe, visiting each
continent, save Australia and Antarctica. He adored his boxers,
Jake, and the late Jeneral, as well as thoroughly enjoyed reading,
cooking, birding, boating and fishing, deep sea and fly, and
spending money.
His driven personality licensed him to educate everyone on every
conceivable subject. It didn't matter if you had a PhD in packing,
he'd demand you repack your trailer his way. But buried underneath
that oftentimes gregariously gruff exterior, was a religiously private
man, dedicated to his wife and family in thought and prayer. If he
asked you to design a carport, a website, or a photo shoot, be
assured he'd redesign the final product a million times. In the
moment he wasn't indecisive. On the contrary, he'd make new
decisions—constantly. One day he'd be 100% convinced a matter
must be settled one way. And the next day he'd be 100%
convinced it must be settled another way. That persnickety
vacillating trait plagued him. But not when it came to vision.
Through deal-making, painting, and writing, Jim expressed an
enormous vision: to right every wrong, correct every offense, win
every battle. He demanded more of himself than anyone around
him, oftentimes to the detriment of health or relationships. Jim not
only dreamed big, he put those dreams into action by designing
and building both his Georgia homes, publishing sixteen novels,
completing forty paintings for a Goodyear Cottage Gallery art show
in Jekyll Island along with area rugs from ten of those paintings. At
the time of his death, he was working on turning his first novel,
Dead Money Run, into a screenplay.
Left to remember Jim are his wife, Lorraine of Townsend, GA; his
children, Jim (Samantha) Johnson III of Kennesaw, GA, Lee (Bill)
Casement of Johns Creek, GA, Clint (Anne) Johnson of Johns
Creek, GA, Michael Ann (Greg) Fitch of Chesapeake, VA, Jennifer
(Graham) Cormack of Conway, SC, and Geoff (Betsy) Meacham of
Atlanta, GA; his grandchildren, Will, Henry, and Brandon Casement,
Connor, Mackenzie, and Emma Johnson, Colton and Cason Fitch,
Calvin Johnson, Luke (Chelsea) Campbell, and Walker, Ian, and Ellie
Meacham; his brother, Ted (Debbie) Bujalski of Ft. Lauderdale, FL;
as well as nieces, nephews, and many supportive friends and
neighbors.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 2:00
pm at The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, 222 East
Harris Street, Savannah, GA 31401.
At the request of the family, please consider memorial contributions
in lieu of flowers. Donations in Jim's name may be made to The
Cathedral Basilica Preservation Society.
To view these details online or offer words of comfort through the
online guest book, kindly visit the Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors of
Savannah website, www.foxandweeks.com.