Johnny Dwayne Garrett was born on June 24, 1949, and passed away peacefully following a brief illness on August 7, 2024 at the age of 75, in Monroe, Georgia. Except for the past six years, Johnny lived his entire life in Tennessee. He moved to Georgia to make a home with his late-in-life love, Nancy, and he delighted in telling others that these were some of the happiest years of his life.

Johnny never met a stranger and would strike up a conversation with anyone. He always had time not only for his friends, but for those he met in the grocery store, at the post office, and at Home Depot. His outgoing nature led him to become fast friends with the men of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church where he and Nancy were members. He often reflected on how the “brotherhood” at St. Alban’s had come into his life at just the right time.

Among his passions were creating a backyard habitat for songbirds, growing roses, playing the guitar, cooking his specialties of chocolate gravy, chocolate meringue pie, and 14-day pickles, and all things John Prine. In May and June of this year, he had already harvested more than 150 dozen roses from his garden.

A graduate of Lewis County High School in Hohenwald, and Freed Hardeman University, Johnny worked for a brief time in corporate business before dropping out to become a self-described hippie and pursue work that would allow him to use his hands and spend time outside. Whether he was building a bluebird box or adding a room to a house, he took tremendous pride in a job well done. Over the past six years, he had painstakingly renovated the home where he and his wife lived, doing much of the work himself.

Johnny was preceded in death by his parents, Gene Dempsey ‘Demps” and Mary Helen Garrett. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Sharpe Strawbridge, and her sons and daughters-in-law, his children, Jessi, Daniel, and Tara, and their families, and a large extended family. An especially proud “Papa John,” he never missed an opportunity to share the accomplishments of his grandchildren in golf, baseball, fishing, hunting, and selling real estate. Johnny is also survived by his lifelong friends, Ronnie, Gary, and Butch and their families.

Johnny was the oldest of five children and he cherished the role of big brother to his sisters, Kay, Debbie, Karen, and Jan and their families. During his final illness, his smile was especially bright when “the sisters” came to visit. The bond he shared with his sisters and their families was a living testament to the legacy of love created by their parents, Demps and Mary Helen.

Johnny was a gentle and kind-hearted man. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, a proud father and grandfather, and a loyal friend.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 12:00 noon (CST) at the Swiss Cemetery in Hohenwald. A reception celebrating Johnny’s life will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. (EST) at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 210 North Broad Street, Monroe, Georgia.

Flowers are appreciated, but Johnny preferred your gifts of support to St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 210 N Broad St, Monroe, GA 30655.

His epitaph, in the words of John Prine, ”When I get to heaven, I’m gonna shake God’s hand. Thank Him for more blessings than one man can stand.”