Robert E. Lee "R.E." Johnson

Robert E. Lee (R.E.) Johnson, after several months of declining health, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2021 at the age of 100. Visitation will be on Sunday, May 2nd from 12:30 until 2:00 at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and the service will be at 2:00 in the chapel.

R.E. was born in Houston County, Alabama on July 30, 1920 to Ottice Leroy Johnson and Claudie Riley Johnson. He enjoyed reminiscing about playing on the Newville Bearcats high school football team and would occasionally say, “look, it still fits”, when trying on his letter sweater. He met his wife of 69 years, Mavis Sanders, for the first time in Headland and always said that she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. After marrying on June 23, 1943, they moved to Panama City where he worked on the construction of cargo ships for the war effort during WWII.

After the war, they returned to Headland for a short period and then moved to Auburn to live out their lives in the town they loved. He began his life in Auburn as a postman and part-time carpenter. He started by walking a city route, and was eventually given a rural mail route on which he drove over 70 miles of dirt roads daily. He was loved by the people on his mail route.

As a young couple in Auburn, they rode their motor scooter with their baby Mike to church. He built two homes for his family, both on Moores Mill Road, and a lake cabin with help from his wife, sons and nephew Alfred Faison. He often sold boats, cars and trucks in his front yard and was quite the salesman. He once bought a boat at a yard sale and doubled his money, which delighted him! He loved fishing, especially on Lake Ogletree, and had lots of fish tales, his favorite being when a 40-pound carp jumped into his jon boat (and he had a picture to prove it). He often commented with amazement that he had been retired more years than he worked. He and Mavis loved traveling from central Florida to Maine in their Airstream trailer. They spent 25 years in the Smoky Mountains enjoying the colorful leaves colors each fall.

He always had a smile on his face. He was a man of great faith and put his trust in the Lord. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mavis, his parents and all of his brothers and sisters: Oree, Merwin, Earl, Turessa, Pera, Velma and Nell.

He is survived by his sons: Mike (Sandy) of Port St Lucie, FL, Kyle (Donna) of Lake Martin, AL, Rick (Ross) of Westerville, OH and Tim (Lynn) of Hendersonville, NC. He had 7 grandchildren: Michael, Scott, Shelley, Lori, David, Ryan and Ricky and many great grandchildren, nieces and nephews: who all loved him.

R.E. was a faithful member of Farmville Baptist Church. On his 100^th birthday, church members came to the front of his assisted living facility and serenaded him. His sons deeply appreciate how his church family cared for him and Mavis in their later years.

Farmville Baptist Church, P.O. Box 3638, Auburn, AL 36831-3638 is the suggested charity for memorial donations.