Jesse L. Johnson

OBITUARY

Jesse Lemuel Johnson April 24, 1951-September 11, 2025

With heavy hearts and immeasurable appreciation for a lifetime of love and laughter, we announce the unexpected passing of husband and father, Jesse Lemuel Johnson, 74 , of Dale City, Virginia. Born in Brookhaven, MS in 1951to Betty Knight and Albert Troy Johnson, Jesse (affectionately known as "Bubba"), would go on to receive an Army ROTC Scholarship and graduate from Jackson State University with a bachelor's degree in physics. He served as a Captain in the United States Army, with assignments to the 82nd Airborne Division, and later the 7thSpecial Forces Group, known as the "Green Berets", as an A team Leader. Stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, Jesse, his wife, Sarah, and two children would spend their early years as a family oversees. Jesse loved to learn and believed strongly in the personal benefits of education, so following his military service, he received two additional degrees, with an Associate's Degree in Broadcast Engineering and an associate's degree in Electronics Technology. Apparently not done with his scholastic endeavors, he would also become an Associate Professor at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). After leaving NOVA, he worked for the US Office of Personnel Management, then the US Department of the Interior, and ultimately, the National Park Service as the Telecommunications Specialist for the NPS Headquarters. Jesse managed to accomplish so many things while also finding time to collect and build model trains, solve puzzles of all types daily, take up gardening, watch every western known to mankind, and if that was not enough, he was always taking care of his family. He went the extra mile to make every occasion special, decorating elaborate birthday cakes and building us kids a kite so big it had to ride to the park on the roof of the car. We still laugh about the two-story tall "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" that toppled over in the living room. To say he will be missed is an immense understatement. Jesse is preceded in death by his father, Albert Troy Johnson and brother, Jimmy. He is survived by wife, Sarah Johnson (nee Smith), daughter, Jessica Johnson, son, Preston Johnson, mother, Betty Washington, siblings, Lewis, Ann, Judy, Clarence, Marvin, Caroline, James, and Tonya. Jesse also leaves sibling-in-laws, Carolyn, Marilyn, Kenneth, Dian and many nieces, nephews, cousins and other loved ones to cherish his memory. We send Jesse home with an abundance of love and gratitude on September 23, 2025