Harry G. "Sonny" Johnson

Harry G. “Sonny” Johnson, age 83, of Middletown, DE, passed away on Sunday, October 18, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. He courageously battled cancer after cancer diagnosis throughout his life, beating most of them until recently. Born in Odessa, DE in 1937, he was a son of the late Harry and Gertrude (Butler) Johnson, Sr., spending his early years growing up on a farm. Sonny graduated from Newark High School with the class of 1956. After high school, he went to Florida for a brief time and then returned due to his father’s illness. Sonny returned to Delaware to join the construction industry. He was later drafted into the U.S. Army in December 1959. Sonny was honorably discharged in March of 1962 with the rank of an SP4. He then went to work for Wm. B. Cullen Construction Company for 13 years. In April 1975, he entered into a partnership with Barry Baker and formed A-Del Construction Company and he never looked back! Sonny ran the business with his partner for 45 years. In 2014, Sonny and his partner received the First State Highway Hall of Fame. He will be forever grateful to all his superintendents, foremen, employees, subcontractors, suppliers and friends who helped him along the way to make A-Del successful throughout the years. Sonny passionately said there were two lessons he learned along the way; 1. One person does all the scheduling and 2. No one ever wanted to rent only a half a bulldozer – yet! Sonny was known for being extremely generous for those who needed it and his wonderful sense of humor. Sonny enjoyed gardening, astrology and the stock market. In later years, Sonny enjoyed spending winters at his Florida home with Eileen. He loved spending time eating out at his favorite restaurants and enjoying time with his friends and family. In addition to his parents, Harry was preceded in death by his sister, Dorothy Hough. He is survived by the love his life, Eileen; children, Debbie, Jim (Lisa), Chris (Mary) and Lynn (Mitch); sister, Barbara Anderson; several nieces, nephews and grandchildren. He was especially fond of Drew and Kari Matthews and Chris Cullen, Jr., whom he adored. A special thank you to his care givers, Debbie Cullen and Barbara Anderson, as well as the Hospice Organization of Delaware for taking impeccable care of him. A visitation for family and friends will be held from 11 am until 1 pm, and again from 4 pm until 6 pm, on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 275 East Main Street, Middletown, DE, where a funeral service will begin at 6 pm. Face masks will be required for all in attendance. Interment will be held privately.