Hilton Otis Johnson

Hilton Otis Johnson, age 96, of Georgetown, passed away peacefully at his home on Good Friday, April 18, 2025.

Hilton was born on April 22, 1928, in Lincoln County, TN. While attending Boonshill High School, he met the love of his life, Karita. The couple graduated together in 1947 and married shortly after on December 30, 1949. In 1951, he answered the nation's call and proudly entered the U.S. Air Force. He left the military in 1955 to raise a family and start an adventurous career, which involved stints with Tennessee Farmers Co-Op, nearly twenty years at the Farmers Chemical Fertilizer Plant in Chattanooga, and retired as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Georgetown. Hilton was an avid farmer and had a love for raising cattle, cutting hay, and tending to his garden. He will also be remembered by many for one of his favorite hobbies: hand-delivering truckloads of sweet potatoes from middle Tennessee to his friends and neighbors each fall. Hilton never knew a "stranger" and spent countless hours sharing his stories and wisdom with everyone he met. He was a member of Brittsville Baptist Church.

Hilton was preceded in death by his parents, Hurley and Minnie Neece Johnson, as well as three of his sisters: Madeline Gatlin, Christine Long, and Jeweldine Bates.

Hilton is survived by his loving wife of 75 years, Karita; daughter, Diane (Mike) Waldo of El Paso, TX; son, Mark (Tonia) Johnson of Ten Mile, TN; and sister, Melba Cahella of Kelso, TN. He was also the proud grandfather of four: Kevin (Amy) Brown, Olivia Johnson, Aaron Johnson, and Madylin Johnson, as well as two great-grandchildren: Kendall and Lincoln Brown, along with several nieces and nephews that held a special place in his heart.

As one may expect, there are also several special friends that survive Hilton. They include N.C. and Betty Cartwright, Bill Egbert, Bill and Elizabeth Leamon, Butch and Debby Edgemon, Johnny Prentice, and his precious caregivers, Greta Dills and Tamara Seaton.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in the chapel of Decatur Funeral Home & Cremation Services with the Rev. Ken Purdie and Rev. Johnny Jones officiating. Interment will follow in the Johnston Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 12 - 2 p.m., prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Johnston Cemetery (3639 Lower River Road NW, Georgetown, TN, 37336), or Meigs Ministries (18364 hwy-58, Decatur, TN, 37322).

Decatur Funeral Home & Cremation Services is honored to serve the Johnson family.