Obituary for Hon. Livingstone Morris Johnson
THE HONORABLE LIVINGSTONE MORRIS JOHNSON
Obituary
December 27, 1927 - February 24, 2023
The Honorable Livingstone Morris Johnson, retired Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, died peacefully, surrounded by family and dear friends, on February 24, 2023, at the age of 95, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Judge Johnson was born on December 27, 1927, in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, to Oliver Livingstone Johnson and Irene Olive Morris Johnson. Judge Johnson attended Johnston Elementary School, Horner Middle School, and Wilkinsburg High School. He played the trumpet in the high school band and was a bugler at Camp Twin Echo, a Boy Scout camp.
Judge Johnson joined the Boy Scouts in 1939. He earned his Eagle Badge in 1945 as well as membership in the Order of the Arrow. Later in life, Judge Johnson was deeply honored to be awarded the Silver Beaver Award, the most significant council level distinguished service award for adults in the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, Judge Johnson was profoundly moved when the Boy Scouts of America, Laurel Highlands Council created the Livingstone M. Johnson Legacy Endowment Award in 2015 to present to a volunteer who has demonstrated their commitment to serving underprivileged youth through Scouting. Judge Johnson was a member of the board of directors of the Laurel Highlands Council.
He received his A.B. from Howard University in 1949 where he was in the ROTC program. While at Howard, Judge Johnson joined Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi in 1945. Becoming a Que was especially meaningful to him because it was the same Chapter of the Fraternity that his father had joined in 1913 and that his older brother, Oliver Morris Johnson, joined in 1941: Theta Psi Chapter at West Virginia State. Judge Johnson would later be especially pleased to see his grandson, Jacob Walker Pettiford, continue the tradition as Jacob joined Omicron Psi Chapter at the University of Pittsburgh in 2022.
Based on his ROTC commission as an officer, Judge Johnson was called to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1949. He graduated from Navigator, Radar-Bombardier school at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas in 1951. As an Air Force officer in Korea, Judge Johnson flew 58 combat missions over enemy territory at night, including many low-level machine-gun strafing attacks. For heroic action in the line of duty, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Commendation Medal, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, along with other awards. Judge Johnson was honorably discharged in 1954. On the strength of his wartime performance, he became a charter member of the Allegheny County Hall of Valor in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in 1962.
Upon his return from Korea, Judge Johnson entered the University of Michigan Law School, earning an LL.B. degree in 1957. Those who knew him, knew not to call the house during Steeler games, but most especially never, ever during Michigan games. He was very happy that his daughter Lee Carol Cook, L ’86, and His granddaughter, Emma Campagnari, LSA ’23, joined him as proud Wolverines.
Judge Johnson returned to Pittsburgh upon his law school graduation and joined his father in the practice of law at the firm of Johnson and Johnson. They were joined by their son and brother, Judge Justin Morris Johnson, in 1962 and the firm became well known as Johnson, Johnson and Johnson. Judge Johnson distinguished himself as an assistant county solicitor from October 1962 which included spearheading litigation which enabled Allegheny County to successfully force the then United States Steel Company to comply with environmental air pollution regulations. He was active in representing the interest of Allegheny County and its citizens before the Pennsylvania Milk Control Commission, and the Public Utility Commission in matters involving Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the Pittsburgh Railways, the Pennsylvania Railroad, Duquesne Light Company, and Equitable Gas Company.
As a civil rights activist, Judge Johnson was chair and chief negotiator of The United Negro Protest Committee in their quest to gain equal hiring for African Americans at Duquesne Light, served as chair of Pittsburgh Friends of Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) Freedom Center, which raised money and collected clothing, food and supplies for COFO projects and then rented trucks to take them to Mississippi during Freedom Summer. He also represented the Urban League in negotiations with the Pittsburgh Pirates to ensure the hiring of African Americans on staff.
As his law practice grew, Judge Johnson became active in social and community affairs. It was during this time, in 1957, that he saw the former Lee Brun Johnson, at a picnic hosted by the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Judge Johnson asked her to dance the Cha Cha with him. She declined at that moment, but they met again in 1958 when Judge Johnson assisted in the mediation of a dispute at the Bethany Baptist Church where Lee Brun worshipped. A month after that, a mutual friend re-introduced them at another party. She finally agreed to a dance and became interested in learning more about this persistent young man. They were married at Heinz Chapel on April 30, 1960. Judge Johnson and Lee Brun moved to a farm that he bought for her when she expressed joy at her surroundings on yet another bucolic picnic. They raised five children in O’Hara Township on that former farm that came to be known as “The Calmwood.” Those children, Lee Carol, Oliver, Judy, Liv, and Patty gave Judge Johnson and Lee Brun their absolute pride and joy: the nine grandchildren, collectively known as “The Cousins”: Lauren, Kristen, Robinson, Ellie, Emma, Jacob, Olivia, Lily, and Alex. Judge Johnson and Lee Brun, known as “Pepop” and “Gam”, unabashedly spoke, with the deepest pride, of the love the Cousins have for each other and their family, and of the Cousins’ growth into exemplary young people.
Judge Johnson was appointed as a Common Pleas Court judge by the governor in 1973. He served for over 9 years in the juvenile section of the Family Division, conducting 21,500 hearings involving juveniles experiencing delinquency, dependency, and mental health problems. In 1982 Judge Johnson received the outstanding juvenile court judge award from the Allegheny County League of Women Voters. In 1985 he received the Juvenile Law Award from the ACBA juvenile law committee in recognition and appreciation of his significant contributions to the field of Juvenile Justice and child welfare. In 1994 he was the first recipient of the Homer S. Brown Law Association Achievement Award.
As a judge in the Allegheny County Civil Division, Judge Johnson was recognized for his demonstrated commitment to the equal treatment of women in the courtroom, as parties, lawyers, and judges. In 1995 he received the Susan B. Anthony Award of the Women's Bar Association on the unanimous vote of that body’s Executive Board.
On December 28, 1997, Judge Johnson assumed senior status and continued to serve as a Common Pleas Court judge until his retirement in 2007.
Judge Johnson was always active in his community. He was a lifelong member of St Mark AME Church in Wilkinsburg which his parents chose as their family church in 1922. He was also a lifelong member of numerous professional, charitable, and community organizations including Omega Psi Phi, Tau Epsilon Rho, and Sigma Pi Phi, Rho Boulé fraternities, the NAACP, the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, the Allegheny County Bar Association Board of Governors, the Homer S. Brown Law Association, and the American Inns of Court-Pittsburgh Chapter. He was a lifelong member of the American Judicature Society and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Judge Johnson is a former charter member of the disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Business and Job Development Corporation, the Variety Club of Pittsburgh, Ozanam Strings, Inc, the YMCA, and Indian Guides, and Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Inc, American Red Cross of Allegheny County-Pittsburgh Chapter, Boys Club of Western Pennsylvania, and served on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Pittsburgh Public Broadcasting (WQED/WQEX). Most memorably, Judge Johnson was a member of The Allegheny County Bar Association Players; a theater group that allowed him to excel in his star turn as a traffic cone.
Among his many awards for community service, Judge Johnson was honored by the Guardians of Greater Pittsburgh, by the staff of Juvenile Court for dedicated service to the youth and families of Allegheny County, by the Greater Pittsburgh A.M.E. Ministerial Alliance for his untiring dedication and service to God, church and community, by Pittsburgh National Bank and WPTT-TV 22 in recognition of the countless contributions made to the community and the legal profession; and by the American Inns of Court-Pittsburgh Chapter for his distinguished service as counselor to that chapter.
Judge Johnson was predeceased, after 59 years of marriage, by his wife, Lee Brun Johnson, his parents Oliver Livingstone Johnson and Irene Olive Morris, his siblings Aliscena Whitaker (James) Hargrave, Oliver Morris Johnson, Irene Morris Johnson (Gian Luigi) Guerrini, and Justin Morris (Florence) Johnson. He is survived by his sister, Justine Morris Johnson (Ricardo) Gutzmer; five children: Lee Carol Johnson (William) Cook, Oliver Morris (Mabel) Johnson, II, Judith Lee Johnson (Christopher) Campagnari, Livingstone James (Elisabeth) Johnson, and Patricia Lee Johnson (Brian) Pettiford; nine grandchildren: Lauren Lee Johnson, Kristen Lee Johnson, Robinson Johnson Cook , Ellison Jordan Cook, Emma Helen Campagnari, Jacob Walker Pettiford, Olivia Johnson Pettiford, Lillian Grace Johnson, and Alexander James Johnson; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and very dear friends.
A public Visitation will be held at East Liberty Presbyterian Church on Friday, March 17, 2023, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The Funeral Service will immediately follow the Visitation at 11:00 am. A private burial will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a memorial contribution to one of the following organizations, which facilitate higher education and/or mentoring to financially disadvantaged students:
The University of Michigan Law School. Under "Gift Options", select "Tribute Gift". Then Select "in memory". Type Livingstone M. Johnson in the open box. Student Support – 321752
https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/scu/law/student OR,
Checks should be made payable to "University of Michigan Law School" with "In memory of Livingstone M. Johnson" written on the memo line of the check. Those should be mailed to:
University of Michigan Law School
c/o Erica Munzel
Development & Alumni Relations
Suite 4000
701 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Howard University Annual Fund Scholarships marked:
“In memory of Judge Livingstone M. Johnson for Student Aid”
https://giving.howard.edu/givenow
Boy Scouts of America, Laurel Highlands Council marked:
“In memory of Judge Livingstone M. Johnson for Scoutreach”
https://lhcscouting.org/giving/
Professional services entrusted to COSTON FUNERAL HOME, INC., 412-661-5916, www.costonfuneralhome.com.
Obituary
December 27, 1927 - February 24, 2023
The Honorable Livingstone Morris Johnson, retired Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, died peacefully, surrounded by family and dear friends, on February 24, 2023, at the age of 95, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Judge Johnson was born on December 27, 1927, in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, to Oliver Livingstone Johnson and Irene Olive Morris Johnson. Judge Johnson attended Johnston Elementary School, Horner Middle School, and Wilkinsburg High School. He played the trumpet in the high school band and was a bugler at Camp Twin Echo, a Boy Scout camp.
Judge Johnson joined the Boy Scouts in 1939. He earned his Eagle Badge in 1945 as well as membership in the Order of the Arrow. Later in life, Judge Johnson was deeply honored to be awarded the Silver Beaver Award, the most significant council level distinguished service award for adults in the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, Judge Johnson was profoundly moved when the Boy Scouts of America, Laurel Highlands Council created the Livingstone M. Johnson Legacy Endowment Award in 2015 to present to a volunteer who has demonstrated their commitment to serving underprivileged youth through Scouting. Judge Johnson was a member of the board of directors of the Laurel Highlands Council.
He received his A.B. from Howard University in 1949 where he was in the ROTC program. While at Howard, Judge Johnson joined Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi in 1945. Becoming a Que was especially meaningful to him because it was the same Chapter of the Fraternity that his father had joined in 1913 and that his older brother, Oliver Morris Johnson, joined in 1941: Theta Psi Chapter at West Virginia State. Judge Johnson would later be especially pleased to see his grandson, Jacob Walker Pettiford, continue the tradition as Jacob joined Omicron Psi Chapter at the University of Pittsburgh in 2022.
Based on his ROTC commission as an officer, Judge Johnson was called to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1949. He graduated from Navigator, Radar-Bombardier school at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas in 1951. As an Air Force officer in Korea, Judge Johnson flew 58 combat missions over enemy territory at night, including many low-level machine-gun strafing attacks. For heroic action in the line of duty, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Commendation Medal, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, along with other awards. Judge Johnson was honorably discharged in 1954. On the strength of his wartime performance, he became a charter member of the Allegheny County Hall of Valor in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in 1962.
Upon his return from Korea, Judge Johnson entered the University of Michigan Law School, earning an LL.B. degree in 1957. Those who knew him, knew not to call the house during Steeler games, but most especially never, ever during Michigan games. He was very happy that his daughter Lee Carol Cook, L ’86, and His granddaughter, Emma Campagnari, LSA ’23, joined him as proud Wolverines.
Judge Johnson returned to Pittsburgh upon his law school graduation and joined his father in the practice of law at the firm of Johnson and Johnson. They were joined by their son and brother, Judge Justin Morris Johnson, in 1962 and the firm became well known as Johnson, Johnson and Johnson. Judge Johnson distinguished himself as an assistant county solicitor from October 1962 which included spearheading litigation which enabled Allegheny County to successfully force the then United States Steel Company to comply with environmental air pollution regulations. He was active in representing the interest of Allegheny County and its citizens before the Pennsylvania Milk Control Commission, and the Public Utility Commission in matters involving Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the Pittsburgh Railways, the Pennsylvania Railroad, Duquesne Light Company, and Equitable Gas Company.
As a civil rights activist, Judge Johnson was chair and chief negotiator of The United Negro Protest Committee in their quest to gain equal hiring for African Americans at Duquesne Light, served as chair of Pittsburgh Friends of Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) Freedom Center, which raised money and collected clothing, food and supplies for COFO projects and then rented trucks to take them to Mississippi during Freedom Summer. He also represented the Urban League in negotiations with the Pittsburgh Pirates to ensure the hiring of African Americans on staff.
As his law practice grew, Judge Johnson became active in social and community affairs. It was during this time, in 1957, that he saw the former Lee Brun Johnson, at a picnic hosted by the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Judge Johnson asked her to dance the Cha Cha with him. She declined at that moment, but they met again in 1958 when Judge Johnson assisted in the mediation of a dispute at the Bethany Baptist Church where Lee Brun worshipped. A month after that, a mutual friend re-introduced them at another party. She finally agreed to a dance and became interested in learning more about this persistent young man. They were married at Heinz Chapel on April 30, 1960. Judge Johnson and Lee Brun moved to a farm that he bought for her when she expressed joy at her surroundings on yet another bucolic picnic. They raised five children in O’Hara Township on that former farm that came to be known as “The Calmwood.” Those children, Lee Carol, Oliver, Judy, Liv, and Patty gave Judge Johnson and Lee Brun their absolute pride and joy: the nine grandchildren, collectively known as “The Cousins”: Lauren, Kristen, Robinson, Ellie, Emma, Jacob, Olivia, Lily, and Alex. Judge Johnson and Lee Brun, known as “Pepop” and “Gam”, unabashedly spoke, with the deepest pride, of the love the Cousins have for each other and their family, and of the Cousins’ growth into exemplary young people.
Judge Johnson was appointed as a Common Pleas Court judge by the governor in 1973. He served for over 9 years in the juvenile section of the Family Division, conducting 21,500 hearings involving juveniles experiencing delinquency, dependency, and mental health problems. In 1982 Judge Johnson received the outstanding juvenile court judge award from the Allegheny County League of Women Voters. In 1985 he received the Juvenile Law Award from the ACBA juvenile law committee in recognition and appreciation of his significant contributions to the field of Juvenile Justice and child welfare. In 1994 he was the first recipient of the Homer S. Brown Law Association Achievement Award.
As a judge in the Allegheny County Civil Division, Judge Johnson was recognized for his demonstrated commitment to the equal treatment of women in the courtroom, as parties, lawyers, and judges. In 1995 he received the Susan B. Anthony Award of the Women's Bar Association on the unanimous vote of that body’s Executive Board.
On December 28, 1997, Judge Johnson assumed senior status and continued to serve as a Common Pleas Court judge until his retirement in 2007.
Judge Johnson was always active in his community. He was a lifelong member of St Mark AME Church in Wilkinsburg which his parents chose as their family church in 1922. He was also a lifelong member of numerous professional, charitable, and community organizations including Omega Psi Phi, Tau Epsilon Rho, and Sigma Pi Phi, Rho Boulé fraternities, the NAACP, the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, the Allegheny County Bar Association Board of Governors, the Homer S. Brown Law Association, and the American Inns of Court-Pittsburgh Chapter. He was a lifelong member of the American Judicature Society and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Judge Johnson is a former charter member of the disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Business and Job Development Corporation, the Variety Club of Pittsburgh, Ozanam Strings, Inc, the YMCA, and Indian Guides, and Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Inc, American Red Cross of Allegheny County-Pittsburgh Chapter, Boys Club of Western Pennsylvania, and served on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Pittsburgh Public Broadcasting (WQED/WQEX). Most memorably, Judge Johnson was a member of The Allegheny County Bar Association Players; a theater group that allowed him to excel in his star turn as a traffic cone.
Among his many awards for community service, Judge Johnson was honored by the Guardians of Greater Pittsburgh, by the staff of Juvenile Court for dedicated service to the youth and families of Allegheny County, by the Greater Pittsburgh A.M.E. Ministerial Alliance for his untiring dedication and service to God, church and community, by Pittsburgh National Bank and WPTT-TV 22 in recognition of the countless contributions made to the community and the legal profession; and by the American Inns of Court-Pittsburgh Chapter for his distinguished service as counselor to that chapter.
Judge Johnson was predeceased, after 59 years of marriage, by his wife, Lee Brun Johnson, his parents Oliver Livingstone Johnson and Irene Olive Morris, his siblings Aliscena Whitaker (James) Hargrave, Oliver Morris Johnson, Irene Morris Johnson (Gian Luigi) Guerrini, and Justin Morris (Florence) Johnson. He is survived by his sister, Justine Morris Johnson (Ricardo) Gutzmer; five children: Lee Carol Johnson (William) Cook, Oliver Morris (Mabel) Johnson, II, Judith Lee Johnson (Christopher) Campagnari, Livingstone James (Elisabeth) Johnson, and Patricia Lee Johnson (Brian) Pettiford; nine grandchildren: Lauren Lee Johnson, Kristen Lee Johnson, Robinson Johnson Cook , Ellison Jordan Cook, Emma Helen Campagnari, Jacob Walker Pettiford, Olivia Johnson Pettiford, Lillian Grace Johnson, and Alexander James Johnson; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and very dear friends.
A public Visitation will be held at East Liberty Presbyterian Church on Friday, March 17, 2023, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The Funeral Service will immediately follow the Visitation at 11:00 am. A private burial will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a memorial contribution to one of the following organizations, which facilitate higher education and/or mentoring to financially disadvantaged students:
The University of Michigan Law School. Under "Gift Options", select "Tribute Gift". Then Select "in memory". Type Livingstone M. Johnson in the open box. Student Support – 321752
https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/scu/law/student OR,
Checks should be made payable to "University of Michigan Law School" with "In memory of Livingstone M. Johnson" written on the memo line of the check. Those should be mailed to:
University of Michigan Law School
c/o Erica Munzel
Development & Alumni Relations
Suite 4000
701 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Howard University Annual Fund Scholarships marked:
“In memory of Judge Livingstone M. Johnson for Student Aid”
https://giving.howard.edu/givenow
Boy Scouts of America, Laurel Highlands Council marked:
“In memory of Judge Livingstone M. Johnson for Scoutreach”
https://lhcscouting.org/giving/
Professional services entrusted to COSTON FUNERAL HOME, INC., 412-661-5916, www.costonfuneralhome.com.