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Longtime Georgia Jeweler Johnny Johnson Dies at 74
In addition to running Edward-Johns Jewelers for 42 years, Johnson was an active member of the community in Cobb County, Georgia.
Georgia jeweler Johnny Johnson opened Edward-Johns Jewelers in Marietta, Georgia in 1979. He died last week of complications related to COVID-19.
Marietta, Ga.—John Michael “Johnny” Johnson, the longtime owner of Edward-Johns Jewelers in Marietta, Georgia, died Feb. 24 of complications related to COVID-19.
He was 74.
He was 74.
Johnson was born Dec. 26, 1946 in Villa Rica, Georgia. He moved to Atlanta when he was 5 years old and and graduated from Georgia State University there.
Johnson started in the jewelry business in 1969, at the only store in the Atlanta area that custom-made jewelry.
In 1975, he and his wife, Anna, moved north to the suburbs—east Cobb in neighboring Cobb County— and four years later, he opened his own jewelry store, Edward-Johns Jewelers.
For more than half of its 42 years in business, Johnson ran the shop alongside his daughter, Jana Johnson-Barry.
In a profile on Marietta.com, the longtime jeweler said what he loved most about the business was being involved in the happiest moments in people’s lives—engagement, birthdays and anniversaries.
“Because we create custom jewelry, we get to see the satisfied look on someone’s face when they see a piece of jewelry created expressly for them,” he told the website.
“I particularly like to create pieces using a customer’s stones and giving them new life as a different piece of jewelry and, hopefully, a new family heirloom.”
In addition to running the store, Johnson served as president of the Georgia Jewelers Association and was named Georgia Jeweler of the Year.
Known for his white hair and long, white beard, Johnson would dress up as Santa at Christmastime and participate in various parties and festivals around Cobb County.
“Santa,” seen in the Instagram post below, would also pay a visit to Edward-Johns Jewelers, where he would take free pictures with children.
Outside of the jewelry industry, Johnson was active in his community.
According to a front-page feature in the Marietta Daily Journal, he represented part of east Cobb on the Cobb County School Board from 1996 until retiring in 2008.
According to a front-page feature in the Marietta Daily Journal, he represented part of east Cobb on the Cobb County School Board from 1996 until retiring in 2008.
He also was a member of the East Cobb Kiwanis Club and Kiwanis International, chaired the east Cobb division of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and served as president of the Cobb County YMCA.
Johnson was once named East Cobb Citizen of the Year, and he received a Lifetime Membership Award from the Georgia PTA.
He loved the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Knights (a minor league hockey team), and the football and basketball teams at the local high school, Pope.
Johnson is survived by his wife, Anna Johnson; his son, Jerad Johnson; his daughter, Jana Johnson-Barry; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, March 6 at 2 p.m. at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, 955 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, P.O. Box 6457, Dept. #286, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
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