Larry Douglas Johnson

Larry Douglas Johnson, of Raleigh, passed away on October 28, 2025. Born in Clayton, North Carolina, on June 3, 1937, Larry graduated from Clayton High School in 1955. Known affectionately to friends as “Acky,” he was president of his senior class and was voted Best All-Around, Best Dressed, Most Popular, and Most Athletic.

After high school, he served as a medic with the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division—the famed “Big Red One”—at Fort Riley, Kansas. From there, he headed to Chapel Hill to study business at the University of North Carolina, where he met Barbara Ann Hamilton, a nursing student from Fayetteville. They were married in 1960.

Upon earning his law degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 1967, Larry moved to Raleigh, where he began his career as a general-practice attorney, focusing largely on real-estate settlements. He later transitioned to the title-insurance field, where he truly found his professional calling. Larry took great satisfaction in mentoring young attorneys—taking many under his wing to teach them the ropes and equipping them with the practical tools of the trade. A natural leader, he built lasting relationships by investing his time, sharing his knowledge, and instilling his passion for the industry in everyone he met. A colleague once said he was “a pioneer—one of the first in the industry to leave the office and actually meet his customers face to face.”

While Larry excelled in his career, his family always remained his greatest priority. Yet he was a restless soul who never stopped seeking new interests and adventures. Over the years, he served as president of the Raleigh Civitan Club, coached Little League baseball, carried the chains at Athens Drive High School football games, and volunteered at the Durham County Wildlife Club and shooting range. At the age of 63, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by earning his private pilot’s license—later adding his instrument rating—and regularly flew throughout the Carolinas.

Larry loved golf, playing often at his beloved Raleigh Country Club and even making a pilgrimage with friends to Scotland, the birthplace of the game. He was also an avid fly fisherman, taking annual, week-long trips to Montana and Alaska after retirement. Later in life, he found joy and close companionship with friends he met at The Gateway restaurant in southeast Raleigh—a bond that endured long after the restaurant closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of all his hobbies, interests, and passions, none meant more to Larry than his time at Lake Gaston and the friends he made at his home in Littleton, North Carolina. Sitting on his boat dock, sipping a good single-malt scotch, and watching the sunset—that was his happy place.

Larry was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara Hamilton Johnson; his second wife, Joy Moore Johnson; his longtime companion, Dee Humphrey; his infant daughter, Melanie Jo Johnson; his stepson, Clifton Edmond Stone; his parents, Douglas Johnson and Alva Hoggard Johnson; and his brothers, Dennis Haywood Johnson and Jimmy Nathaniel Johnson.

He is survived by his son, Larry Maurice “Mo” Johnson, of São Paulo, Brazil; daughter, Melanie Ann Johnson, of Raleigh; stepson, Robert Fields Stone, of Raleigh; daughter-in-law, Sarah Burris Stone (the late, Clifton E. Stone) of Cumming, Georgia; and three granddaughters: Ryan Olivia Stone, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Emma Mackenzie Stone, of Columbia, South Carolina; and Mia Barbara Johnson, of Sarasota, Florida.

A memorial service will be held Friday, November 7, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Highland United Methodist Church, 1901 Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607. A graveside service will follow that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at Maplewood Cemetery, 504 S. Smith St., Clayton, NC 27520.

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s Street, Raleigh, NC, is serving the Johnson family.