Ligette Johnson

Ligette (Pug) Johnson, 78, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2026, at the hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He was born on January 21, 1948, at home on Beaunit Mill Hill in East Rockingham, North Carolina. He was the fifth child of John A. Johnson and Ruth E. Shepard Johnson.

Ligette grew up in Richmond County, North Carolina, and attended Rohanen School. Along with many of his siblings, he spent his early years in the close-knit mill village community where family and neighbors were an important part of everyday life.

In the mid-1960s, Ligette proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He served as a communications lineman with the "Big Red One" for 22 straight months in Vietnam and achieved the rank of Sergeant. Military service ran strong in the Johnson family-six brothers served during the Vietnam War era, five in the Army and one in the Marine Corps.

After returning home from the Army, Ligette worked for J.P. Stevens, where he was employed as a computerized loom fixer in the textile industry for many years.

In his free time, Ligette enjoyed the simple things he loved most. He was an avid fisherman and spent countless hours on the water, from the Pee Dee River to the beaches of the Carolina coast. He was especially proud of holding, at one time, five different fishing records at the Second Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach. He also enjoyed watching Atlanta Braves baseball, classic Westerns, and the television show Gunsmoke. Friends and family often said he was one of the best fishermen from the Pee Dee River to the beach.

Ligette is survived by his brother, Lonnie T. Johnson of Little River, South Carolina; his sister, Lois Johnson Currie, a retired nurse of Rockingham, North Carolina; and his sister, Joan Johnson Henderson of Henderson, Texas. He is also survived by many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John A. Johnson and Ruth Shepard Johnson, and by his siblings: Mevis Johnson McNally, Lloyd Johnson, John A. Johnson Jr., Douglas W. Johnson, and Timothy Johnson.

Ligette Johnson will be remembered as a good man, a proud veteran, a dedicated worker, and a fisherman who loved the water. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him.

Online condolences may be made at www.watson-kingfuneralhome.com Watson-King Funeral Home in Rockingham is serving the Johnson family.