Former Milledgeville city councilman and mayor Johnny Grant, Jr. passed away over the weekend, just three-anda- half months shy of his 100th birthday.
During his 20-plus years around City Hall, Grant learned just about everything there was to know about Milledgeville, especially its infrastructure. He was a walking encyclopedia when it came to Milledgeville’s water and sewer system, basically capable of rattling off the exact location of every water main and fire hydrant in town.
Grant made his living in the jewelry business – JC Grant Company.
He styled his hair in an upward fashion and often walked around downtown with his jeweler’s loupe still attached to his glasses, which definitely created a signature look.
Although he grew up in Moultrie, Grant spent his summers with family in Milledgeville and hung around the old Grant’s Jewelers, where he became fascinated with fixing watches and tinkering with anything and everything mechanical. He was serious about his craft, receiving the Distinguished Jeweler of the Year award from the Georgia Jewelers Association in 1997 and Jeweler of the Year in 1999 from the Southeastern Guild of the 24 Karat Club.
Grant broke his hip in 2014, but that didn’t knock him out of work or too long. He continued to work at the family jewelry store on South Wayne Street up until the Covid pandemic.
Grant’s “better half” was his beloved wife Zell Barnes Grant, who passed away in 2009.
Johnny and Zell are survived their children, John W. Grant, III (Carol), Jean Grant Bayne (Victor), Carol Grant Vance (Ken), and Joseph Stewart Grant (Pam) all of Milledgeville, grandchildren, Jason Graham (Sissy), Jennifer Graham Stasney (Justin Jones), Rebecca Grant Cummiskey (Chris), Michael Grant (Candace), Daniel Grant (Rebecca), Emily Vance Goss, Jessica Grant Pilling (Reed), John Austin Vance (Kayli), Julianna Grant McGehee (Robert), seventeen great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Moores Funeral Home has charge of arrangements. Visitation is set for this Friday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Moores, while the funeral is 11 a.m. Saturday at First Methodist Church.