Winifred "Winkie" Johnston

Winifred White Johnston

“Winkie”

Librarian & Teacher

Augusta, GA – Mrs. Winifred “Winkie” White Johnston, 84, beloved wife of Mr. Harold G. Johnston, Sr., entered into rest and left this world to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Piedmont Hospital.

Mrs. Johnston lived an exemplary Christian life and set an example to others of what a good family life should be. Winkie, as she was affectionately known by her family and friends, felt that one of her greatest achievements was seeing that all family members accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Her faith in God sustained her through many trials and tribulations over the years. Winkie practiced what she preached, and she lived her life accordingly. She and Harold G. Johnston, Sr. were married on June 4, 1966 in Fitzgerald, Georgia. For over 58 years they were inseparable. Winkie was a loving, faithful and devoted wife to Harold. Harold will miss her greatly.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”- Philippians 1:21. Death is a great loss to a carnal and worldly man, for he loses all his earthly comforts and all his hopes; but to a true believer it is gain, for it is the end of all his weakness and misery. It delivers him from all the evils of life and brings him to possess the chief good.

Winkie Johnston, a native of Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia, was born on December 5, 1940. Winkie attended some historic schools in Fitzgerald, including Mrs. Lee’s Kindergarten and Third Ward Elementary School for grades one through seven (where she had to pay tuition because Third Ward was a town school and Winkie resided in the county, outside the town limits, on the historic White family farm). She attended Northside High School in Atlanta for grades eight through eleven and graduated from Fitzgerald High in the class of 1959. She attended South Georgia College in Douglas for two years and received her B.S. Degree in Education from Georgia Southern College. She obtained her Media Specialists certification from Augusta College and her Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of Georgia.

Mrs. Johnston met her future husband, Harold, in a history class at Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Georgia when she lent him a textbook. She served several years as a teacher in Fitzgerald before moving to Augusta to work for the Richmond County Board of Education as a library media specialist at Bayvale, Southside, Forest Hills, National Hills and T. Harry Garrett Elementary Schools. Winkie retired from the Richmond County School System in 1996 with 30 years of service as a library medial specialist.

Mrs. Johnston’s parents were Phillip Guy White, Jr, and Eunice Sullivan White, both of Fitzgerald. Winkie was an only child. Her great grandfather, Cyrus Graves, started the Fitzgerald Presbyterian Church, which Winkie joined at the age of 6. Her family donated land for the church’s pastor’s manse. Fitzgerald was founded by former Union soldiers on a tract of land purchased by the American Tribune Soldiers Colony Company. The citizens of Fitzgerald pledged unity with their former enemies. The town was laid out symmetrically with streets named after leaders of both the Federal and Confederate armies to honor both North and South.

Mrs. Johnston loved her southern heritage and was affiliated with many historical organizations. Winkie was a member of DAR College Hill Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Pierre Robert Chapter of the Colonial Dames XVII Century; West Lake Garden Club; West Lake Woman’s Club; West Lake Lady Lakers Club; Augusta Newcomers Club; and AMDOES, an auxiliary of the ABUCS, American Business Clubs. Winkie also was a member of the Richmond County Educators Association (RCEA); Georgia Association of Educators (GAE); Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE); Georgia Library Association; Augusta Genealogical Society; and Christ the King Lutheran Church Bible Study. Winkie was a member of Lakemont Presbyterian Church and attended First Baptist Church Augusta later in life.

Winkie loved to travel. She and Harold have visited all fifty states and many countries, including England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and especially, Israel. Winke also loved to write and was a published author. Winkie and Harold shared historical, biblical and contemporary information as well as their personal insights, photos and observations from their Israel travel adventures in their book, Israel: Walking in Holy Footsteps, published by Xulon Press in 2016.

Winkie is survived by her husband, Harold G. Johnston, Sr., and her son, Harold G. “Hal” Johnston, Jr., born in 1968. Winkie was predeceased in 2016 by her daughter, Eunice Ann Johnston, born in 1970. Winkie’s children were both born in Augusta.

The funeral service will be held on Friday, April 18, 2025, at 2:00 PM in the Chapel of Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors with Dr. Will Dyer officiating. Interment will follow in Westover Memorial Park.

If so desired, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church Augusta, 3500 Walton Way Ext., Augusta, GA 30909, or Lakemont Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America, 411 Pleasant Home Rd. Augusta, GA 30907.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude for the loving care given to Mrs. Johnston over the past few years by her sitters, Lisa Gandy, Teiara Martin, Stacie Ferrell, and Renee Toure. They are also thankful for the dedicated team at Brandon Wilde in Evans, Georgia.

The family will receive friends on Friday, April 18 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, one hour prior to the service, at Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com.