Community members are mourning the loss of local attorney John Johnson who died suddenly Sunday.

Johnson, 63, was vice president and general counsel at Griffith Moseley Johnson.

Carl Griffith, president and CEO of the law firm, said he and staff are in shock at the news of Johnson’s passing.

The two men had known each other for about 40 years, going back to when Griffith was Jefferson County Sheriff and Johnson was a deputy. With hundreds of employees in the sheriff’s office, Griffith didn’t know Johnson until later in his career.  Johnson would go on to law school at night to earn his degree.

After Griffith served as judge for Jefferson County, he started the law firm and Johnson later became vice president.

“We are all still in shock. We are like a family,” Griffith said, adding that many employees at the firm have been there a number of years. “We have a close-knit office in Port Arthur.”

Griffith said Johnson was a hard worker who cared deeply about Port Arthur and that’s why he was involved in the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson was the incoming chairman for the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce. He was to be honored along with others at the upcoming chamber annual banquet Jan. 14.

“The Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce staff, directors and members are saddened to hear of the passing of our 2025 Chairperson of the Board, Mr. John Johnson,” Chamber President/CEO Joe Tant said. “Mr. Johnson served the chamber in multiple capacities during his time on the board of directors and will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.”

The Chamber has a plan in place in the event the chairman is incapacitated or leaves, and that is for the chairman-elect to step up. In this instance, that person is Nathan Rivers, president of SETEX Construction Corporation.

Rivers spoke Monday on the passing of Johnson.

“Serving on the executive committee with Mr. Johnson allowed me to see, first hand, his impact on the Chamber and the Greater Port Arthur area. John brought wisdom and levity to matters that were critical to the success of the Chamber,” Rivers said. “His leadership in the community will be greatly missed, but the impact he had on the board and staff strengthened the Chamber, ensuring it remains strong and resilient through such a tragic loss.”

Former Chamber president and CEO Pat Avery said Johnson’s passing is a tremendous loss.

Avery previously worked as human resources manager and communications officer for TOTAL Petrochemicals USA and as vice-president of Griffith Moseley Johnson & Associates where she worked with Johnson, she said.

“I think John was a genius,” she said, saying he had a major legal mind for tax abatements.”

She credits Johnson as the mastermind on the legal end and Carl Griffith for having the vision to bring the first billion-dollar project at BASF/TOTAL to the area.

“I consider John a very close friend and a great mind,” she said. “That’s one of the main reasons I wanted him to become a member of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce.”

Avery said the area lost a tremendous advocate with Johnson’s passing and even though she is retired she was looking forward to seeing what Johnson would do as Chamber chairman.

Tant said the executive board would continue with the goals the immediate past chairman Arthur Thomas put in place and continue some of the vision Johnson had put in place when they met in late December. They will also be speaking with Rivers as well.

Some of the goals include continuing to educate small business owners, continuing to help the community evolve, and ensuring they are moving forward with any and all economic development projects.

The Chamber has grown so much it is time to add another staff member, he said.

Tant said the Chamber is blessed with members including Verna Rutherford and Mary Ann Reid, both past presidents, and past chairmen Randy Sonnier, Art Thomas and Stuart Salter.

Johnson

According to his bio on the Griffith Moseley Johnson website, Johnson is vice president and general counsel.

As an attorney and partner in the firm, Johnson had a 25-year career in law enforcement and public administration.

Prior to starting GMJ, he spent 10 years in county government, where his portfolio included environmental, transportation, homeland security, criminal justice, grants, and economic development matters.

He negotiated the terms of incentive agreements on more than $20 billion in industrial expansion projects in Southeast Texas. John serves on the board of directors of the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, where he chairs the legislative committee. He also serves on the board of directors of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Southeast Texas.

Funeral service information was not available as of Tuesday morning.