Hilliard Rankin Johnson Sr., passed away on July 1, 2026 at the age of 97. Beloved by many; he will be greatly missed.

He is predeceased by his wife Elizabeth Margrey; parents Isaac and Laura Johnson; children Hilliard “Butch” Johnson, Jr., William “Bill” Johnson; siblings Isaac Johnson, Jr., Juanita Smith, Coy Johnson, Rex Johnson, Lola Mae Milhone, Dona Pack, Donovan Johnson; and grandchild Jeffery “Jay” Johnson.

Hilliard is survived by his children, Jill (William) Crooker, Robin Banister, Scott (Deanne) Johnson, Jeffery Johnson, Jo Ellen (Louis) Stinchcomb; siblings Lillie Grace Cofield, Troy Vee Dortch, Warren Kent (Cathy) Johnson; as well as 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Hilliard proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. as a Field Repeaterman in the Korean Conflict. He received numerous medals including the Bronze Star.

He ran the family farm starting at the age of 12 years old. He also worked other jobs to earn money until joining the army. After leaving the service, he worked as an engineer at companies as varied as General Electric, R. T. French, Singer Sewing Machine, and Widmer’s Wine, among others. He worked in the atomic industry, food production, manufacturing production design, and the Saturn space program. He donated his time to charitable projects via various social organizations. After retiring, he worked as a general contractor for renovations and building projects and as a casino trolley bus driver and Bingo caller.

He was an avid traveler having visited all 50 states. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, gardening, auto racing, playing cards, painting and working on engines and hands-on projects.

A Celebrations of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Hilliard’s memory to Honor Flight.