Johnnie Grace Garland Rodgers Perry

Mrs. Johnnie Grace Garland Rodgers Perry, age 90 of Flowery Branch, Georgia passed away Wednesday, August 9, 2023 surrounded by her family.

A daughter of the late, Robert Riley Garland and Georgia Holcomb Garland, she was born January 31, 1933 in Stephens County, Georgia where she lived until 1969, moving to Lake City, Florida.  

She applied for a job as a mechanic at Aero Corporation in Lake City. She was awarded the job based on the fact that her name was Johnnie. They thought she was a man. She was fought with much resistance when she started work as a landing gear mechanic on C130 airplanes.  She later went on to learn hydraulics and became a hydraulic specialist. She was the best and was promoted to shop Forman and retired after her husband passed away. After moving "home" she continued to work and eventually became an office manager/claims manager/accounts manager for another 24 years with her daughter’s company.

Mrs. Perry was 90 years old, a mother of five, independent, tough as nails, amazing, loving, and devoted Christian Mother. Her entire life was devoted to her children, work, and love of all things family. She worked hard all our lives, first to make her children’s lives better than hers, later for the sheer pleasure of being active and needed. She worked up until six months ago, was still independently living and driving as little as six weeks ago. She also had an amazing hobby of quilting, hand pieced, hand quilted, and one for every child, grandchild, and great grandchild. With everything she did, her family always came first. We have been blessed to have her, to call such a beautiful and amazing woman our Mother.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Billy Perry, son, Curtis Landrum Rodgers, son-in-law, Joe Lasseter, sisters, Eugenia Garland, Bobbie Ann Garland Graham, Lily Garland Graham and Billie Garland Murray and by a brother, Alfred “Bubba” Garland.

Survivors include two daughters and son-in-law, Marie Lasseter of Watkinsville, Georgia and Cyndi English and Ron Alford of Flowery Branch, Georgia; sons and daughter-in-law, Perry Boyd Rodgers of Augusta, Georgia and Andy and Cathy Perry of Acworth, Georgia; daughter-in-law, Deborah Rodgers of Woodstock, Georgia; eight grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren; brothers, Leonard Garland of Wichita Falls, Texas and Robert Garland of Westminster, South Carolina; sisters, Glenda Garland Anderson Leonard and her husband Stephen of Toccoa and Robin Garland Brown of Clayton, Georgia; a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be Saturday, August 12, 2023, 2 o’clock p.m. in the Hillcrest Chapel of the Acree-Davis Funeral Home with The Reverend Phillip Murray and The Reverend Jerrell Beatty officiating.  The following gentlemen will serve as pallbearers, John Perry, Andrew Perry, Terry English, Jace Lasseter, John Rodgers and Ron Alford.

The family will receive friends on Saturday from 1 p.m. until the service time. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.acree-davisfh.com.

Interment will follow at Toccoa City Cemetery with the Acree-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory in charge of the arrangements for Mrs. Johnnie Grace Garland Rodgers Perry.