Walter Fair Johnson, III, 78, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of November 17, 2025. Born in Mansfield, Louisiana on June 17, 1947, he spent his life serving God, his family and the people of Northwest Louisiana with integrity, steadiness and a deep sense of duty.
Growing up as a farm boy in Mansfield, “Walter Fair” as he was called, learned how to work hard, tend the land and offer his service to his community. These deep-rooted values would follow him the rest of his life as he developed as a young man. He rode horses, hunted, preached to the congregation of First Baptist Mansfield, became an Eagle Scout and played the saxophone in the high school band.
At Louisiana Tech University, he studied accounting and served as the Vice President, then the President of the Student Union. He was elected to the select “Who’s Who” of American Colleges and joined ROTC. He completed his 4 years of ROTC and became a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, paving the way for his eventual entrance to law school at LSU in Baton Rouge on the GI bill.
Walter Fair married Sissy in the summer of 1970 and they started a family all while fulfilling his military duties and starting law school. After he graduated, Walter Fair returned home to begin advocating for his clients – the work he would continue tirelessly for the rest of his life. He practiced law in Shreveport for more than forty years, focusing on wills, family successions and the land and mineral matters tied to Louisiana’s oil and natural gas fields. Families across the region relied on his guidance and he built a career marked by trust, clarity and a quiet consistency of character.
Walter Fair is survived by his wife and life-long love of 55 years, Elizabeth “Sissy” Waller Johnson, and their four children: Walter F. Johnson, IV, Elizabeth Noel Johnson, Erin Johnson Bailey & her husband Adam Bailey and Andrew Hollis Johnson. His grandchildren are Ava Johnson, Madison Johnson, Arabella Bailey and Scarlett Bailey.
Faith shaped his life in every moment. He started each morning with prayer, praise and the Word of God because he believed in its power to guide him as he led his family. A recognized “Church Father,” Walter Fair was an active participant and elder in his beloved church home, Christian Center of Shreveport. He taught childrens’ Sunday school and led the weekly communion. He faithfully served and rarely missed a gathering. He cared for his church family with the same humility, dependability, and commitment he brought to his Johnson family.
Walter Fair leaves behind a legacy of service, devotion and sacrificial love-felt by the many lives he impacted over the decades. “Pop” as his family called him, was a gatherer of people; Holidays, lunches, birthdays…no occasion was “too small” to celebrate in his eyes! He was exceedingly generous and always a quiet, kind presence in the background. Never showy or proud, he modeled what it meant to be a moral and upright Christian man and true “Southern Gentleman.”
Walter Fair loved LSU Tiger football, Geauxsicles (his daughter Erin’s creation), making pancakes on Saturday mornings for his grandkids, fixing all things broken (including people!) and doting on Sissy. Walter Fair gave of himself. He was genuine. His deepest desire was for all to know the saving love of Jesus Christ.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to “Christian Center of Shreveport” for the Children’s Playground fund.”