William Johnson

William R. “Bill” Johnson, 81, of Gulf Breeze, passed away Tuesday, November 24, 2015. He was born in Wetumpka, Al on October 2, 1934. He and his wife, Dorothy (Dot), moved to Gulf Breeze, FL in November of 1961 where they continued to live and raise their two daughters. Growing up in Wetumpka he acquired a genuine love of the outdoors from his father. His father taught him to love and appreciate the simple things in nature, and they spent many hours together fishing on the river and hunting the local woods; not always for pleasure as many times it would be to provide food for the table. Later in life Bill was able to enjoy hunting for pleasure and was a longtime member of the Hit-n-Miss hunting club. When he helped move the club from Camden to Elba, AL, he was instrumental in the location and design of the camp lake. He loved working the lake whether fishing or fertilizing, he was always doing something to improve the quality of the water and number and size of fish. He started sharing his love of hunting and fishing with his grandson, Will, by taking him to camp as soon as he was old enough to hold a fishing pole; hunting came as soon after. One of Bill’s proudest moments was when, some twenty years later, Will was invited to become an associate member of the club. From an early age Bill dreamed of working in the construction industry and to own his own company. In pursuit of these dreams he headed up the street from Wetumpka to Auburn University (at that time known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute) to fulfill his dreams by acquiring a degree in 1958 in Building Construction. Bill started his first company Martin-Johnson, Inc. with partner Jake Martin in July of 1964 and his second company, W. R. Johnson, Inc. in 1986 partnering with his daughter and wife. At the completion of the last project, Bill had owned his own construction company for over 50 years which was a feat that he was extremely proud to achieve. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 46 years, Dorothy; parents Archie and Susie Johnson, brothers Jerry Wayne and Lloyd, and sister Julia Johnson. He is survived by daughters Terri Perry (Butch), Pensacola, and Dayna Sondervan, San Antonio, TX; grandson Will Nelson, Elberta, AL and granddaughter Veronica Sondervan; sisters Linda Parlegreco (Vince) of Florala, AL, Sarah Hendrix and Ruby Gray (Bufford), of Wetumpka, AL, and numerous nephews and nieces. Visitation will be held from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at Rose Lawn Funeral Home. Graveside services at Rose Lawn Cemetery will follow immediately.

Visitation

Visitation

Rose Lawn Funeral Home
2942 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, FL  32563
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
12:00 PM

Service

Graveside Service

Rose Lawn Cemetery
2942 Gulf Breeze Parkway
Gulf Breeze, FL  32563
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
1:00 PM