Harold Christopher Johnson

Harold Christopher Johnson, Jr., fondly known as Hal, of Avondale Estates, GA, died unexpectedly on Thursday, July 16, 2020. Hal is survived by his wife, Barbara, of 41 years; daughter, Brooke Gilbert, and her husband, Grant; daughter, Lacey Johnson; daughter, Kristen Achenbach, and her husband, John; and six loving grandchildren. He is also survived by his father, Harold C. Johnson, Sr., of McDonough, GA; his brother, Tommy Johnson, and his wife, Pam; his sister, Caye Oglesby and her husband, Rich; and sister-in-law, Dianne Johnson, of the late Robert “Bob” Johnson, as well as many extended family members and friends.

In his youth, Hal began working for his father’s business, Puritan Dairy, of Ellenwood, GA, on a milk delivery route before school. Hal attended and graduated from Southwest DeKalb High School in 1972 in Decatur, GA. He began working in the carpet business at age 19, and after learning the trade, he started his first business, Flat Shoals Carpet, which later became Peach State Carpet. Years later, he met Bill Chapman of Godfather Vans, who helped him to discover his true passion, the automobile industry. Hal and Bill quickly developed a close friendship, and in 1986, Hal bought Bill’s van conversion business, which later became Godfather Customs in Decatur, GA. It was through this business that Hal developed a lifelong passion of customizing cars and trucks, becoming well-known by the industry and car enthusiasts alike. Hal was very successful with Godfather Customs, being nationally recognized and published in magazines, such as Truckin and Mini Truckin. He was honored with multiple awards and acknowledgements for his customized automobiles at the prestigious SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was later inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2017.

Personally, Hal was known fondly by many to possess a heart of gold and touched the lives of countless individuals he encountered throughout his lifetime. His reach was far and wide, having friends from all over the country who cared deeply for him and considered him a great friend and genuinely good person. Hal was an avid reader and a jack-of-all-trades, knowledgeable in so many subjects. He was a man with big ideas and dreams, and he lived with a larger-than-life mentality. Throughout his life, Hal was a generous giver, donating to many charities and individuals with both his money, time, and assets. Hal was a man of God and loved the Lord. He and his wife rededicated their lives to the Lord and were baptized together in the Summer of 2015.

As we remember our beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, grandfather, and friend, we want to leave you with one of Hal’s favorite verses from the Christian Bible Psalm 51. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me".

Visitation will be at A.S. Turner & Sons in Decatur from 5-7 PM on Wednesday, July 22. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 3:00 PM Thursday, July 23. The service will also be streamed on A. S. Turner and Sons Facebook page for those who cannot attend. In Lieu of Flowers, please donate to: Hot Rodders Children's Charity, http://hotrodderschildrenscharity.org/