TIFTON — Dr. Paul O’Neal Johnson, 72, former mayor of Tifton, died Thursday, March 11, 2010 at his residence.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church, with Dr. W. Wayne Roe, Dr. W. Ches Smith and the Rev. Paul T. Thomas officiating. Burial will follow at Oakridge Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 tonight in the chapel of Albritton-Beaumont Funeral Directors.

Pallbearers will be Dr. Joe Turner, Dr. Michael Dawson, Dr. Bill Guest, Dr. Greg Anderson, Mrs. Becky Mann, Charles Mann, Sonny Hamilton, Roger Dill, Jimmy Taylor, Charles Roland and Greg Sowell. Honorary pallbearers will be the Boch Sunday School Class of First Baptist Church, the Tifton City Council and City of Tifton Employees, Roosevelt Russell, Dick Chalfant, Harold Harper, Talmadge Webb, Carla Miles and Sandi Dent Moody.

Dr. Johnson was born on March 16, 1937, in Pleasant Valley, Ala., to the late Roland Edward Johnson and Nell Almaroad Johnson. He was a 1959 graduate of Auburn University, and worked as a county extension agent in Opelika, Ala., until 1965, when he obtained his master of education degree in vocational education. He later served as a rural development specialist with Auburn University.

In 1967, he earned his Ph.D in adult education from the University of Georgia and became the assistant director of the Auburn University Extension Service. He moved to Tifton in 1974 when he became the District Director of 4-H and Youth with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service serving 40 counties in Southwest Georgia with over 200 personnel. He was nominated for the National Service Award for his work with the extension service. After retirement, Johnson served as a three-term Mayor of Tifton from 1997 until 2008. He was a member of the Georgia Municipal Association’s Hall of Fame, and had been the GMA District 11 president, as well as a board member of the GMA Board of Directors.

Dr. Johnson was an active member of Tifton’s First Baptist Church where he sang in the choir: (former minister of Music at Providence Baptist Church in Opelika, Ala., and youngest Ordained Deacon in the First Baptist Church, Opelika, Ala.); the Rotary Club of Tifton where he was a Paul Harris Fellow; Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, and in 2007 was inducted into the chamber’s prestigious Wall of Fame; Springhill Country Club; and former member and President of the Lions Club of Opelika, Ala.; member of the Tifton-Tift County Airport Authority, Downtown Development Authority and the Tift County Development Authority; and served in the Alabama National Guard.

Paul Johnson was instrumental in making Tifton the Reading Capital of the World, culminating in ceremonies on Nov. 15, 2000 at the Tift County High School stadium. He led by example, reading countless books and earning countless Accelerated Reader points.

Among his survivors are his wife Patricia Thames Johnson of Tifton; his children, Neal and Diane Johnson of Moody, Ala., Brette Johnson of Fortson, Thomas Sidney Renfroe III of Augusta, Matt and Tammy Renfroe of Ty Ty; a brother and sister-in-law, Lavaughn and Peggy Johnson of Auburn, Ala.; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lois and Edward Hintermeier of Tifton; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Debbie and John Groves of Bolingbroke; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Larry and Judy Thames of Charleston, S.C.; six grandchildren, Jacob Johnson, Alex Renfroe, Sydney Renfroe, Lainey Renfroe, Brittany Wilson and Brady (J.J.) Wilson; and his nephews and nieces, Alfred and Rachel Eller, Adam Eller, Lyle and Denise Johnson of Madison, Todd and Ann Johnson of Atlanta and Wade Johnson of Auburn.

Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made to Hospice of Tift Area, P. O. Box 747, Tifton, GA 31793, American Cancer Society-Relay for Life of Tift County, P. O. Box 7514, Tifton, GA 31793 or First Baptist Church Building Fund, 404 Love Avenue, Tifton, GA 31794.

You may sign the guest registry at www.albritton-beaumontfuneralhome.com.

Albritton-Beaumont Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.