Penny Bolden Johnson, 76, of Huntsville, Alabama, went home to be with the Lord on August 19, 2026. Born September 10, 1949, in Nashville, Tennessee, Penny lived a life marked by faith, family, generosity, and love for people.
Arrangements are being handled by Laughlin Service Funeral Home. Visitation will be held on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Huntsville, with the funeral service beginning at 3:00 p.m. The service will be officiated by Ryan Johnson and Mark Johnson. A graveside service will follow at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to Community Care Village, 78 Dick Hayes Rd., Scottsboro, AL 35769.
Penny was preceded in death by her parents, Allen Houston and Pauline Moseley Bolden; her father- and mother-in-law, George Thomas Sr. and Catherine “Kitty” Johnson; siblings, Mary Elizabeth Spears, Will Ann Carter, and Mike Bolden; sister-in-law, Cathy Buettner (Steve); and children, George Thomas Johnson III and Kelley Johnson.
She is survived by her husband of 49 years, George Thomas “Tommy” Johnson Jr.; daughter, Kacy Johnson (Kim); son, Ryan Johnson (Mandy); siblings, Bobby Bolden (Janette), Tommy Bolden (Marcy), Betty Jo (Phil), and Ronnie Bolden; grandchildren, Ashleigh (Kyle), Caroline (Drake), D’Quarius, Kendall, Kennedy, Gracie (Caleb), Ella, Lily, Maddie, Grady, Vivi, and Macie; great-grandchildren, Logan, Chesley, Layla, and Ellie; in-laws, Mark and Tamara Johnson; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Penny grew up in a large family, where she learned early the value of hard work, loyalty, resilience, and making room for others. After meeting Tommy in Bradenton, Florida, she moved to Huntsville, where they married and built a life centered on family, business, ministry, and friendship. After 49 years, she was still madly in love with him, and their marriage remained one of the great joys and testimonies of her life.
Together, Penny and Tommy founded G.T. Johnson Construction and Johnson Pools and Spas. For more than 45 years, she served as a small-business owner and leader, eventually becoming the first woman to serve as president of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, a national organization for the swimming pool industry. Penny led with confidence, competence, and grace.
Her accomplishments were significant, but they were never the whole story. Penny believed business was ultimately about people. She was strong without becoming hard, successful without losing compassion, and capable of leading while still making others feel valued. Her daughters and granddaughters saw in her an example of strong womanhood—a woman could lead, speak with conviction, love deeply, laugh freely, give generously, and follow Jesus faithfully.
That strength was tested again during the past year as Penny faced breast cancer. She endured that difficult season with courage while continuing to love her family with the sacrifice, humor, and loyalty that had always characterized her. That love was especially evident in the way she welcomed every child God brought into her family. As Ryan and Mandy, along with Kacy and Kim, fostered and adopted children, Penny never treated them as anything less than her grandchildren. If they were part of the family, they were hers to love.
From 2014 through 2024, Penny and Tommy served as part-time missionaries in Vietnam, working with business leaders and CEOs. Penny taught leadership and business principles while encouraging those she served to see business as more than a means of profit. She believed it could strengthen communities and contribute to human flourishing. Those relationships also opened doors to conversations about Jesus, allowing her professional experience to become a platform for ministry.
Penny was a member of First Baptist Church in Huntsville and a supporter of Agape Baptist Church and the Big Oak Boys Ranch.
Even in death, Penny continued giving. As an organ donor, she donated her corneas so that others might receive the gift of sight.
Serving as pallbearers will be Allen Bolden, Joey Johnson, Steve Green, Chip Johnson, Zack Smith, Mark Belcher, Caleb Jackson, Kyle Rogers, and Drake Sellers.
The words of Proverbs 31:28–30 offer a fitting picture of Penny’s legacy: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
Penny’s family grieves deeply, but they grieve with hope. She has gone to be with the Lord she loved and served, leaving behind a family who will continue to tell her stories, carry forward her generosity and strength, and thank God for the privilege of calling her wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.
