Johnny Robinson

Obituaries

Tuesday, 28 March 2023 10:24

Mr. Johnny Robinson, born in Dawson, Alabama on Wednesday, March 22, 1950 to Thelma Lawson and Horace Robinson, passed away on Friday, March 17, 2023. A celebration of life was held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Johnny was the youngest of three children and was a 1968 graduate of Geraldine High. He was also the youngest Deputy Sheriff in DeKalb County history at age 16, busting moonshine stills in the summers alongside Sheriff Harold Richards. He went on to Jacksonville State University and joined the Oxford Police Department to pay his way, later graduating with a degree in criminal justice in 1971. After graduating, he moved to Scottsboro and joined the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office in 1975 to further a career in law enforcement. He attended the Birmingham School of Law, graduating in 1984, while working full time at the DA’s office. He married his wife of 20 years, Mary Garner, in 1988, and together they had their only child, John, in 1989.

Johnny was elected to the Alabama State Legislature in 1994, serving until 2014 before retiring. Some of his achievements included: formally exonerating the wrongly-accused Scottsboro Boys, recruiting U.S. gypsum to Bridgeport, establishing the SenioRx program, sponsoring the bill that created the James martin Wildlife area and co-sponsoring the bill dedicating a section of I-65 as The Lost Highway. John loved his family, his church and his community.

He was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and enjoyed listening to and performing country music. He was a believer in the adage, “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Harnessing his gifts for human interaction and musical talent, he launched a lifelong career in public service that led to the betterment of the lives of those in the communities he served.

John was a staunch advocate for educators, law enforcement, first responders, veterans, small business owner, the environment and those most vulnerable and in need. He was a man of the people, by the people and for the people. John was also a playful man with a sense of humor and a quick wit. Often, he and members of the House Band, comprised of John and other musically inclined legislators, went at night to sit around the grave of Hank Williams and seek wisdom. They would sing, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “I Saw the Light” and other Hang tunes, as John played the guitar.

During a particularly heated legislative session in Montgomery, John reported to a judiciary committee meeting following a long night of thought-provoking conversation with Hank and was asked by the ranking member of the committee, “Mr. Robinson, I see you are running late this morning. I presume you and others of this illustrious body sang around the grave of our great Alabamian, Mr. Hank Williams, again last night and conducted your own legislative session. Tell me, Representative Robinson, did the spirit of Hank tell you anything?”

To which John responded, “Yes, Mr. Chairman [Rep. Fuller of Lafayette, Ala.] I must confess I was there last night, and Hank told me to tell you and the other members of this committee that the bill you are proposing isn’t worth a damn and ought to withdrawn and amended as quickly as it was proposed.”

John was deliberate and thoughtful with his words and actions. He cared about his name and what others thought it and told those closest to him on many occasions to, “Remember who you are,” as he recognized the importance and value of one’s reputation saying, “It takes a lifetime to build and a minute to lose.”

He was patient and kind and never let his status as an educated man or elected official affect the way he perceived and treated others. When an angry constituent marched into the Jackson County Legislative Delegation, he heard a distraught woman demanding to see someone immediately. Hearing this, John motioned her to come into his office and asked what was going on.

She said, “Rep. Robinson, I am here because for the third week in a row, my trash can has been left on its side in my yard by the pickup service.”

John asked her if she had contacted the Solid Waste Department or her city councilmember, to which she responded, “Well, I didn’t know I was goin’ to have to go that high up.”

Rather than explain to her this was a matter typically dealt with at a level, or four, below his and giving her a number to call, he assisted her in getting in touch with the driver, ensuring her trash can was left where and how she wanted it. After that, she told him, “Rep. Robinson, I never voted for you before, but I was wrong – you’re all right.”

John had two bumper stickers on his 2001 Buick Park Avenue. The first read, “UnTax Groceries,” as he believed it was a regressive tax that affected the poor disproportionately. The second read, “Be Better to Your neighbors, and You’ll Have Better Neighbors,” as he believed that to build a good community, members ought to build each other up rather than tear each other down. As he often quoted Hank, “Unless you’ve made no mistakes in your life, Be Careful Of Stones You Throw.”

John was genuine, principled, compassionate and kind, and he will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him or calling him a friend. May his legacy live on in those lives he touched along life’s way. Be Better to Your neighbors, and You’ll have Better Neighbors.

He is survived by his son, Lawson Robinson; sister, Annette Robinson; niece, Amy Robinson. He was preceded in death by his mother, Thelma Robinson; father, Horace Robinson; brother, Larry Robinson.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Attn: Food Pantry, 402 South Scott Street, Scottsboro, Ala. 35768; Northeast Alabama Community College Music Program, Attn: Mr. Rodney Bone, Business Office, P.O. Box 159, Rainsville, Ala. 35986; https://give.michaeljfox.org/give/421686/#!/donation/checkout; https://action.aclu.org/give/now.