Lee Grant Johnson
“HOUSER”
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.- 1 Peter 2:9 NIV
Truth is, as told in the Bible and shared by
Pastors around the world, we are handpicked,
created to bring glory to God. For Lee Grant
Johnson “Houser” of Madisonville, it was
a lifetime of being handpicked by both his
earthly connections and his Savior.
Cecil and Dude Johnson were very special
people with big hearts. After adopting their
first son, Terry, they walked the heartache no
parent should as he passed on to grow up in
heaven. With faith in their dream of children,
they opened their hearts adopting sons, Ray
and Guy, then expanded their hearts once
more to hand-pick
Lee Johnson,
a baby brother to
complete their
family. Raising the
three boys to be
honest, punctual
or don’t bother
showing up,
work hard, laugh much and love all. All of
those character traits existed and thrived in
the youngest Johnson boy. Reminded often
by both parents, Lee and his brothers were
chosen, cared for, loved beyond measure
and given a foundation of knowing the
importance of being embraced by another.
Lee’s life is a legacy of embracing others,
loving much and yes, laughing even more.
Growing up in Monroe County, the love for
his friends and classmates at Madisonville
High School is memorable. In fact, he is
the infamous “Houser.” The class of 1980
was and remains forever changed by life
of the party, Lee Johnson, who never
missed a moment to be in the middle of it
all, hand-picked by classmates as favorite.
Naturally, he studied at Hiwassee College
and loved the University of Tennessee
Volunteers just down the road. Lee was a
huge fan with a lifelong dream to have a
bright orange Harley Davidson. His life is a
legacy of being proud of his roots, loving his
friends and being the greatest Vol fan!
Along with loving his family and friends, it was
his love of country that would make his legacy
a part of American history. Following in the
proud footsteps of his father, Cecil Johnson, a
U.S. Navy World War II veteran, Lee served in
the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment of the
United States Army. It is readily identified by
its nickname, The Old Guard. Each member
of The Old Guard is hand-picked to guard the
President of the United States (Ronald Reagan
at the time), the White House, the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier and perform ceremonial
funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. The
regiment is the oldest active duty regiment in
the U.S. Army, having been first organized as
the First American Regiment in 1784, being the
official ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army since
1948. Lee’s life is a legacy of service to country,
something he honored for those that served in
the past, alongside him and currently.
Left to Right, Guy and Charlene Johnson, Dude (Mom) and Lee, Ray and Tammy Johnson with son Grant Johnson.