Rev. Thomas H. Johnson

The Rev. Thomas Halliburton Johnson, Sr.

1929 - 2025

 After several months of decline, the Rev. Thomas H. Johnson, Sr. passed away at dawn on Sunday morning, January 19, 2025 at the Historic Roswell Place, Roswell, Georgia. Known as Thomas at home, and Tom or Brother Tom in church work, he was born the youngest of three children in September 1929 at Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Tennessee. His family soon moved to Macon, Georgia, which became his hometown. His parents were George M. Johnson, Sr. and Louise Halliburton, originally of Farmington & Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Ft Valley, Georgia, respectively. Thomas was the younger brother of George, Jr. and sister Betsy. After attending Clisby Elementary and graduating from Lanier High School, he enrolled at Oxford College & Emory University, where he lettered in tennis and earned an English degree in three years. Thomas continued at Emory for seminary at the Candler School of Theology to earn a Bachelor of Divinity degree (later changed system wide to a Master of Divinity [MDiv]).

Vocation and Marriage

At age seventeen, under the ministry of Dr. Albert S. Trulock, Sr. at Vineville Methodist Church, Thomas heard the call to preach and, in response, focused the rest of his life on Christian service, the life and teaching of Jesus, preaching, evangelism, ethical & kind administration, and pastoral ministry and visitation. While a high school student in Macon, he met a Wesleyan College student, Emmie S. Carlton of Oxford, Georgia, daughter of W.A. “Squire” Carlton and Annie Lou B. Carlton, originally from Arcadia, Florida and Molena, Georgia, respectively. Though Emmie was two years ahead of Thomas academically, she too was born in 1929, earned an English degree also, followed by a Master of Christian Education at Candler. After a long courtship, they married in Oxford and lived in Decatur for two years, where she taught public school while he completed seminary. (Emmie’s older sister, Anne, also married a United Methodist pastor, Richard E. Blanchard, Sr.)

Career and Pastoral Ministry

Thomas’ first pastoral appointment during the final year of seminary was as an associate pastor at Carrollton First Methodist Church. After graduation from Candler and ordination in the South Georgia Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, the Macon District superintendent wanted to place him at the small Martha Bowman church in northwest Macon. The leadership of the church responded definitively that they did NOT want a pastor straight out of seminary. The district superintendent asked if they remembered the Wesleyan College student who years earlier had been the church pianist of their congregation. “Why yes, Emmie Carlton!” The district superintendent said, “Well, Emmie Carlton is now Mrs. Tom Johnson.” The small group immediately said, “We would LOVE to have them at Martha Bowman.” Thomas in later years maintained that, “I really did owe my first full time appointment to Emmie.” The Thomas and Emmie ministry team went on to serve (after the local congregations of Carrollton and Martha Bowman): Alpha (Bloomingdale)/Meldrim, White Bluff, Baxley First/Graham, Park Ave (Valdosta), Statesboro First, and Perry. He was then appointed to serve as a superintendent: Thomasville District, Epworth by the Sea, and the Waycross District. In the first year of retirement, he then served as a retired supply pastor at Mansfield. In his twenties, thirties, and forties Thomas generally preached one to four revivals a year and led many people to Christ beyond the local churches he served.

Family Life

Thomas and Emmie made a commitment to approach the Methodist system of (the bishop and cabinet) making pastoral appointments - and moving pastors every three to five years - to be a ministry and Christian service team. They became the parents of Tom, Jr. & Nancy in Macon, and Betsy in Savannah. Wherever the pastoral appointment happened to be, Thomas and Emmie were also quite active with and supported their children in local school band and choral programs, football games, Scouting, youth adventure travel groups, and made sure each attended annual conference children and youth weekends and weeks at Epworth by the Sea (which became a second home). Thomas taught the children to fish and/or shoot for food, and how to drive and change a car’s oil or a flat tire. When the children became teens, Thomas subtly pushed them to work and start small businesses, but before high school graduation, forbade any hourly ‘on the clock’ work. Thomas and Emmie especially encouraged each child to live a Christ centered life, with use of Upper Room family devotional times and discussions about the meaning of scripture and lessons heard at Sunday School or UMYF .

Recreation

Thomas had a lively and interesting life outside church life. He continued to play tennis into his seventies, and (in a few towns) played well enough to surprise or to the dismay of local high school and college tennis coaches. As a young adult and on through late middle age he was an avid fisherman, bird hunter. Depending on the location, using an aluminum jonboat and or a Geechee Bateau as tools, he fished and visited wild and untouched rivers (at the time) of the coastal plain from the Savannah and Ogeechee on through to the Okefenokee & upper Suwannee to the Ochlocknee and Flint - as well as the Georgia intracoastal island and marsh region, and the saltwater flats of the Big Bend of Florida. “If you possibly can, always take a day off, and sometimes take two,” he would say, and then proceed to fish or hunt and explore with healthy curiosity. In a series of one day trips, Thomas took his children and children of good friends hunting and to remote places or local ponds and lakes to fish, and taught most of the grandchildren how to fish. Though the day trips made Emmie nervous, everyone came home with fish and creature tales to tell. 

Tithing and Service

Thomas was an active Kiwanian in most towns, largely because he loved the community and service to the world focus of Kiwanis. Through tithing he gave regularly to nearly all of the colleges, mission, outreach and social service agencies related to Georgia Methodism, as well as international programs like the Heiffer Project.

Retirement

During their long retirement in Oxford, Georgia at Emmie’s parents’ home place, Thomas enlarged the area of muscadine and scuppernong vines his father-in-law had planted, began a grape sale each fall (complete with thirty-one years of exact records), planted many, many varieties of camellias with consultation with friend George Gerbing, Jr., and blueberries, blackberries, and beds of day lilies, roses, and irises. Also, in retirement Thomas and Emmie were quite and very active in Sunday School, UMW, and the men’s group at Allen Memorial UMC, the campus congregation at Oxford College.

Philosophy and Practical Theology

Thomas and Emmie both thought the teachings of Jesus applied to society, so they quietly promoted among friends and at church public education, public health programs, the equality of different ethnic groups, and proper care of God’s creation. Neither of them were biblical literalists/fundamentalists, but were very accepting of Christians and others who thought differently - as long as the person was honest and loved and cared for other people. They consciously shied away from membership in public groups or clubs that excluded or appeared to exclude people due to color or ethnic origin, and talked about this with their children. Long after others his age stopped driving completely, Thomas continued to take Emmie into town (Atlanta) to special programs at Emory/Candler or The Carter Center to hear speakers they admired like Desmond Tutu. In later years, Emmie suffered from dementia. Thomas well cared for her at home, and thought it important that she was able to die as she wished, a block and a half from where she was born. At the end of his life, his favorite quotes were things Emmie said, or stories about Emmie.

Family Connections

Preceded in death by parents and both sets of Carlton and Johnson siblings, Thomas H. Johnson, Sr. is survived by three children - Tom, Jr., Nancy (Jeff), Betsy (John), six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and six nieces and nephews, their children, and younger cousins. He was blessed with ninety-five and a half years of good health and an unusually active public and private life. His early call from God to ministry service meant that he continued to be in service to others even through his last few weeks in memory care at the Historic Roswell Place.

Funeral

Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 15 at the Old Church, 1011 Wesley St, Oxford, Georgia 30054. Viewing will begin at 1:00 P.M., the Funeral Service and Celebration of Life at 1:30 P.M., followed by a Committal at the nearby Oxford Historical Cemetery. A reception will be held immediately following in Loverne Hall, the social hall of Allen Memorial United Methodist Church. Please, NO flowers.

Memorials

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the following: Epworth by the Sea - St Simons Island, The Methodist Home for Children and Youth - Macon, The Vashti Center - Thomasville, The Open Door Community House - Columbus, & the League of the Good Samaritan - Magnolia Manor - Americus. Addresses are easily located on those websites.

Please, send NO flowers.