David Lee Johnson
David Johnson Obituary
Mr. David Lee Johnson, age 53, of Bear Creek, NC, transitioned to eternal rest on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
The Obituary
David Lee Johnson, affectionately known as "Bulla, Bootsie, Dad, and Uncle David”, was born in Orange County, NC on October 6, 1972, to Dorothy Johnson. Our Heavenly Father called David home on Saturday, October 11, 2025, and he is now at rest in His arms.
David was a precocious child growing up; he carried his curiousness and sense of humor into his adult life. He also had a strong faith in God and was baptized at age fourteen and rededicated his life to Christ in 2024. David was educated in the Chatham County School System where he spent his formative years at Bonlee Elementary and graduated from Chatham Central High School in 1992. While at Chatham Central, he excelled in many sports, however, his greatest love was football. He lettered and received many awards for his athleticism. It was at Chatham Central that he met the love of his life of 33 years. David and Robbie were married 21 years. They wed at Castle McCullough, located in Jamestown N.C., and under their covenant with God, two handsome boys were born, Andrew and Adam.
David was an avid hunter who was well-experienced with guns and bows and arrows. Anyone that had ever been invited to his home knew how much he loved to display his skills. He was also an avid fisherman and made several journeys to the North and South Carolina, and Virginia coast to deep sea fish. Most of all David loved to dance (he was the life of the party), he had a wicked sense of humor and never met a stranger. He loved to go four-wheeling and hangout on his porch to shoot the breeze with friends and family. He had an affinity for "Good Morning America", “Deadliest Catch” and a multitude of cooking shows. David could throw down in the kitchen, and his barbeque was legendary.
Bulla spent the last twenty years of his life as a poultry farm owner. He owned a 26-acre poultry farm in Bear Creek; he was one of a few Black poultry farmers in Chatham County. He held contracts with Townsend, Mountaire, and Pilgrim's Pride during his career. He was featured on the front page of the News & Observer for His farming merits. His favorite place on earth was his farm. The farm that he dreamt about as a little boy that he would own one day.
Most importantly, Bulla was very dedicated to his family and friends. He touched the lives of everyone he met, and those memories will forever stay in our hearts. If he was your friend, he was a friend for life.
As a dad and an uncle, he took pride in the children that were a part of his life and worked to instill wisdom in them that they could carry with them forever. His death sent shockwaves through his family, the community of Chatham County and beyond.
As David enters the arms of our Lord, he is greeted by those that left before him, his maternal grandmother, Dorothy Belle Johnson and grandfather; his “grandma” Mrs. Eleanor Dowdy, and father, George Rives, Jr.
“Bulla” leaves to forever cherish his memory; his wife, Robbie Johnson; children, Andrew and Adam Johnson; mother, Dorothy Johnson; brothers, Mark Tyson (Linette), Craig Johnson (Octavia), Allen Johnson (Amanda); mother and father-in-law, Robert and Jo-Ann Womble; sisters-in-law, Charlene Rinell (Fernando); Sherlene Womble, Tara Barrett (Lee) and a special niece, Brittany Degraffenreidt (Josh). His generosity and spirit touched many lives; he will be missed by his adoring nephews, nieces, and a multitude of family and friends.
So today, we don’t just mourn his passing, we celebrate his life. Because if there’s one thing David would tell us, it’s this: “Don’t cry too long — fire up the grill, tell a joke, love your people, and keep the good times rolling.”
Though David is no longer with us in body, his legacy will live on through those he loved.
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Professional services entrusted to Knotts Funeral Home-Sanford, NC