Lib Johnson named Rural Lady of the Year

Elizabeth “Lib” Johnson of the Conway area was named Horry Electric Cooperative’s Rural Lady of the Year at a luncheon Friday.

Since 1979, the Miss Leo G. Knauff Leadership Award has been presented annually to a woman in HEC’s farming community service area.

The award was presented by Bruce Johnson, a retired Clemson Extension agent now with Horry County State Bank, who isn’t related to Lib Johnson.

“She is committed to helping make Horry County a better place. She has spent most of her life living and enjoying rural life and is devoted to preserving and protecting rural life as we know it,” he said.

Lib has been married to James Lauris “Larry” Johnson for 46 years, and their 400-acre farm in is the Good Hope Community. She grew up on a farm in the Aynor area, a daughter of the late Harde Lee and Bondell Lawson, and met Larry when she attended summer school one year in Conway.

“I knew I loved her as soon as I laid my eyes on her,” Larry said.

The high school sweethearts now have three children; James L. Johnson, Deanna Poston and Lee Ann Helms, and eight grandchildren. James said his mother has always been a hard-working person and a “great mama.”

Lib is involved in every aspect of the farm and always gives 100 percent or more to every task that is asked of her or that she decides needs to be done, Bruce said.

“She loves to cook and sew but her favorite thing is spending time with her husband, her children and grandchildren. Her honesty and caring attitude are an inspiration to all that know her,” he said. “She also has a strong faith in God and is a member of Good Hope Baptist Church. She is a Christian lady who is a caring wife, mother and grandmother.”

In addition to farming, Lib, also known for her sense of humor, was a full-time rural mail carrier for the U.S. Post office for 13 years and a part-time carrier for another seven years.

Lib has seen many changes in farming, and in their farm, over the years.

“It’s not as big as it used to be,” she said.

She said it is very hard to get people to work on farms these days.

Tobacco used to be the biggest crop, but they don’t grow it anymore. They’ve also reduced the number of cows they raise and no longer raise hogs.

They still grow corn, soybeans and some produce, but not in large amounts as they once did. She still “cans” produce for the family.

Lib recalls working in tobacco on her 16th birthday. Most days, tobacco workers looked forward to getting one soft drink on a break, but on that day, she was working for her uncle and he took her two Coca Colas, which was a big thing for her.

If children today were allowed to work the way she did, they wouldn’t have time to be getting in trouble, she said.