William Johnson
1942 - 2026
William “Gary” Johnson, 84, of Portsmouth, OH, passed away Monday, August 3, 2026, at SOMC Hospice Center. He was born July 31, 1942, in Wheelersburg, OH to the late William R. and Mary E. (Creech) Johnson and is survived by his wife of 53 years, Patricia (Hall) Johnson, whom he married June 21, 1973.
Gary was a 1960 graduate of Wheelersburg High School and proud veteran of the United States Air Force. He was a retired accountant from Sunoco Chemical in Haverhill, OH. Gary was a huge Buckeye fan and served as an usher for seven years at the OSU Football Stadium, but the passion of his life was being with his family and spent every moment he could with them.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by six siblings: Gene Johnson, Danny Johnson, Keith Johnson, Joyce Ruggles, Shirley Jenkins and Sue Litz.
Along with his wife, those left to celebrate his life are his four children: Tim Newton, Lesa (Randy) Thornton, Lori Purkey and Rebecca Weaver; nine grandchildren: Josh (Lindy) Campbell, Cam Newton, Alex (Kelly) Thornton, Austin (Olivia) Thornton, Kristy (Derrick) Layton, Haley Newton, Lindsay Newton, Natalie (Conner) Douglas and Adam Weaver; nine great grandchildren and many more friends and family that will miss him dearly.
A funeral service will be 1:00pm, Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Harrison-Pyles Funeral Home, 11623 Gallia Pike, Wheelersburg, OH with Pastor Chris Oiler officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Burial Park, Wheelersburg, OH. Visitation will be 11:00am until the time of the service at the funeral home.
Condolences
Tammy Schmidgall
Uncle Gary was one of my favorite uncles and persons.Even though we lost touch over the years,i have such fond memories of time spent with him and Aunt Pat growing up when we visited them.Rest in peace,in the Lord,with a glorious reunion with Grandpa and Grandma Johnson,and all your brothers and sisters.we will meet again some wonderful day!!
Sandy Floyd
I was saddened to learn of Gary's death. As Creech cousins, we shared many memories many laughs and many tears over the years. I will miss him.