Pope D. Johnson, III, was born in Newberry, South Carolina, October 16, 1948, and died on November 25, 2023.

Pope was a born and bred South Carolinian who treasured his upbringing in Newberry and believed that both his parents and his community offered the best life possible. He graduated from Newberry High School in 1966 and Clemson University in 1969 where, on a blind date, he met Bunny, the love of his life. They married several months before Pope was deployed to Vietnam as 1st Lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division. He served as a Captain, and the family learned many years later of the bronze star he earned on his tour of duty.

Pope obtained a law degree from the University of South Carolina where he was admitted to the Wig and Robe. He began practice with the firm of Whaley and McCutchen, later McCutchen, Blanton, Rhodes, and Johnson. Subsequently, he and his partner, Van Barnette, formed Johnson and Barnette. He was a "lawyer's lawyer" and was invited to the American Board of Trial Advocates, ABOTA. He was admired for his skill in the courtroom, his insatiable work ethic, his civility, and most importantly, his character. He was willing to assist anyone needing his help. Pope was a fierce advocate and never shied from a good fight. His word was his bond, and he extolled hard work as the surest path to success in life.

Pope was devoted to his wife and their three children, Duncan, James, and Mary, but held many in his fold, most especially Alex Fito, a Rotary Exchange student from Spain who became a third son and brother. Pope pushed his children, their cousins, and friends to live up to his high standards. He loved introducing them to the joys of horseback riding or subjecting them to needed manual labor. He judged character by how much or little they complained.

Pope loved a challenge and had a zest for life. He parachuted, piloted planes, went up in a hot air balloon with his father, broke horses, drove mules, hunted quail, learned to sew and bake bread, became scuba certified, officiated weddings, and learned to wake board in his sixties.

He admired true grit and perseverance. He met his Parkinson's diagnosis with both. He practiced law some fourteen years after his diagnosis and rarely altered his habits to accommodate his limitations. He simply kept doing what he always did for as long as he could. To aid research of Parkinson's, Pope donated his body to the Medical University of South Carolina. Pope once said he had done all he needed to do in life, since he had known all seven of his grandchildren whom he adored.

Pope was preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth Blackwell Johnson and Pope Duncan Johnson, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Marian Hicklin Johnson, and children Pope Duncan Johnson IV (Stephanie), William James Johnson (Tricia) and Mary Johnson Shepherd (BJ) and his siblings Elizabeth Johnson Kohn and Gordon Blackwell Johnson, as well as his grandchildren, Eliza Jane Shepherd, Caroline Josephine Shepherd, Virginia Lynne Shepherd, William Tiller Johnson, James Malcolm Johnson, Pope Duncan Johnson V, Cary Lafaye Johnson, and nieces and nephews whom he deeply loved.

A celebration of Pope's life will be held Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at the Johnson Farm on 7556 SC Hwy 219, Newberry, South Carolina. The service will be held in a heated tent and if attending, please dress warmly and comfortably.

Contributions in memory of Pope can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741 or give.michaeljfox.com.

Memories and messages may be shared with the family here on his tribute page.

Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to serve the Johnson family.