Joseph Johnson, 98, of Pittsview, AL passed on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 in Pittsview, AL.

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in the C.T. Chapel of Taylor Funeral Home. Burial in St. James Cemetery. Cottonton, AL. Public visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27, 2026.

If you ever needed something fixed, a story told, or a good laugh, Joseph Johnson Jr. was your man. After 98 remarkable years, Joseph, affectionately known as Joe, peacefully went to sleep on March 17, 2026.

Born in Cottonton, Alabama, on May 20, 1927, to Joseph and Annie Johnson, Joe was one of thirteen children. He learned early the value of hard work, resilience, and togetherness—lessons he carried with him throughout his life.

He was a jack of all trades—farmer, railroad man, carpenter—traveling throughout the Southeast building homes and bridges. Joe even built the home where he and his first wife, Lillie Rivers Johnson, raised their seven children. Later in his life, Joe met and married Rosie Lias Johnson, expanding his family to include her nine children. He was well regarded for his willingness to help others and share his knowledge. A master storyteller, Joe never missed a chance to offer wisdom, or a laugh. If you needed to know how to build a deck, start a proper fire, or plant sweet potatoes, you asked Joe. And if you needed a good laugh, you asked him to tell you about his adventures making moonshine, hunting snakes, or underage driving trips to Tuskegee.

Joe was the proud father of five sons and three daughters, all of whom grew up to create families of their own, resulting in fourteen grandchildren, 10 great grands, and 4 great great grandchildren. According to his children, while they know they were loved, his grands received extra special attention. There were rumors of candy shopping sprees and crisp dollar bills quietly slipped into pockets—rumors that, to this day, remain unconfirmed.

Even after retiring, Joe never truly stopped working. He could often be found tending his garden and the surrounding land. For him, a day wasn’t complete without a nap in his favorite spot—in his old red truck, parked beneath the shade of the two large oak trees he planted decades earlier.

Whether you called him Dad, Uncle Joe, Papa Joe, Grandad, Mr Johnson, or simply Joe, he was always someone you could count on. He was many things - kind, determined, wise, helpful, stubborn, funny, curious, generous, but most importantly, he was deeply loved. Joe will be remembered for his generous and adventurous spirit, his love of laughter, and the countless lives he touched along the way.

In his rest, he joins his father, Joseph Johnson Sr, mother, Annie Johnson, grandson, Undrea Holloman, son, William Otis Johnson, stepdaughter, Patricia Ann (Richard) Bell, stepson, London Lias Jr, and his twelve siblings: Nathan Johnson Sr., Eddie Mack Johnson, Rufus Johnson, Edward Johnson Sr., Otis Johnson Sr., Elijah Johnson, Elizabeth Williams, Jessie Bell McHone, Katie Mae Coleman, Rosie Lee Jackson, Annie Pearl Reese, and Millie Johnson.

Joe is survived and deeply missed by his devoted wife of the last 25 years, Rosie Lias Johnson; son, Floyd Murphy; six of his children with first wife Lillie Rivers Johnson (deceased): Annie Campbell (John), Bobbie Holloman (Floyd), Lillie Rutherford (Frank), Freddie Johnson (Belinda), Charlie Johnson (Juanita), and Abraham Johnson (Tonya); seven stepchildren: Georgia Ann (Howard) Dillard, Ledger Chatman Harley, Anna Richmond, Diane Upshaw, Rosie Vann, Kathy Lias, and Ethel (Donnell) Battle; along with a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends