Atha Odell Johnson's Obituary
Services for Atha Odell Johnson, 93, of Longview will be held at the Longview First Church on Blueridge Pkwy. at noon, Monday, September 16, 2019. The family will receive friends at the church from 11 am to noon prior to the service. Burial will follow at Lakeview Memorial Gardens. Mr. Johnson passed away on Thursday, September 12, 2019 in Longview.
Odell was born March 9, 1926 in Dexter, Missouri to Gilford B Johnson and Ada Luella Abernathy. He grew up in Dunklin County working on the family farm. In July 1944 he went into the Navy, receiving his boot training at the Great Lakes Training Center. From there he went to Newport, Rhode Island for gunnery training. He left there and went aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier at Brooklyn Navy yard. His was the first group aboard and helped finish the ship before leaving the harbor. He served in the South Pacific and was off the coast of Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped. He left the Navy as a Gunners Mate 3rd class August 20, 1946.
Odell married Jessie Lillian Morgan July 24, 1946 at Piggott, Arkansas. They started their live together farming in Southeast Missouri. Rev A. O. Johnson received the Holy Ghost in January 23, 1948 in Kennett, Missouri. His preaching ministry began in January 1949 with revivals and brush arbor meetings. They came to Longview in January 1955. He pastored in Jefferson, TX and Longview, TX-retiring from pastoring in 1965 due to health conditions. Although his health didn’t permit an active preaching ministry, the Holy Ghost fire has continued to burn fueled by constant prayer, praise and worship, and he had been a blessing and encouraged to many.
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