Brent Lyttleton Johnston, Sr. passed from this life to his eternal reward in Heaven on May 8, 2026. He was born to Bower Lyttleton Johnston, Sr. and Esther Hetherwick Johnston in Meridian, Mississippi, on May 17, 1938. When Brent was in junior high school, he and his family moved to Jackson, where he attended Central High School before graduating from the newly formed Murrah High School in 1956. He excelled in football and track and later attended Millsaps College, where he played football.

Brent was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, an affiliation he shared with his father, and later with his three sons, and his grandson Harrison. It was at Millsaps where Brent began dating his future wife of 59 years, Cynthia Ann Dubard, who was a cheerleader, Miss Millsaps, and was selected as “Most Beautiful.”

During the summers while in college, Brent served as a member of the Naval Reserve and participated in several deployments. During one of these deployments, he was injured in combat and was awarded the Purple Heart. After college, Brent earned his master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Mississippi College. He worked for several years as a teacher and assistant football coach at West Point High School, Mississippi College, and Millsaps College under Head Football Coach Harper Davis.

Brent later worked in the real estate department at Prudential before eventually becoming a general contractor and co-founding Williamsburg Homes with his business partner, George Gregory. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Brent developed numerous subdivisions throughout the Jackson metropolitan area, including Sheffield Drive, Roxbury Royale, Summertree, Eastpointe on the Reservoir, Treasure Cove, and Tidewater, where he built hundreds of homes. Each year, Brent and Cynthia, along with George and his wife, Dot, participated in the Parade of Homes.

Brent also developed and constructed several commercial projects, including the Old Capitol renovation, Lefleur’s Gallery shopping center in Jackson, and Main Street Family Medical Clinic in Madison. He was also a licensed real estate broker and appraiser and later operated Old Town Realty and Appraisal Services, Inc. Brent developed particular expertise in eminent domain valuations and worked with the City of Ridgeland, MCEDA, and numerous other government agencies, performing appraisals for road projects and real estate developments.

During the administrations of Madison County Sheriffs Billy Noble and Jesse Hopkins, Brent served as a part-time deputy sheriff. He sacrificed many nights and weekends away from his family in order to protect and serve his community. At that time, the department was much smaller and less formal, with only a handful of deputies covering the entire county. Brent’s uniform usually consisted of blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a button-down shirt with a red-and-yellow patch featuring a blue star sewn onto the sleeves. His patrol vehicle was his Chevy pickup truck with a removable blue light mounted on the dashboard.

Brent also volunteered for many years as a baseball coach for his sons’ teams, which played at the Ridgeland baseball field where the Ridgeland Police Department now stands. Because the Johnston home on Sunnybrook Road was located near Sunnybrook Children’s Home, many of the boys from Sunnybrook played on Brent’s little league baseball teams. Brent became a father figure to many of these young men residing in orphan care. He also coached his sons in the Jackson Academy elementary football program. Brent believed encouragement—not criticism—was the key to successful coaching, and as a result, he left a lasting and positive impression on the many young athletes he coached throughout the years.

As the patriarch of the Johnston family, Brent was always quick to lend a helping hand, whether rushing to assist when a car had broken down or offering wisdom and guidance during important life decisions. Brent was always present and was a servant by nature. He consistently put his family first and often adjusted his own schedule simply so he could spend more time with those he loved. His door was always open, and his family always knew they could depend on him. Despite his busy schedule, he never missed one of his sons’ sporting events. In Cynthia’s final years, as her health declined, Brent remained faithfully by her side, lovingly caring for her until she went home to be with the Lord in 2020.

Brent’s Christian faith was strong, and he always made sure his family was in church. He and his family began attending Riverwood Bible Church in Jackson in the late 1960s and later joined First Baptist Church of Madison in 1982, where Brent remained a faithful member until his passing. One of the pastors at the church had a son with special needs who was unable to verbally communicate. Brent formed a special bond with the young man, and whenever Brent entered the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, the young man would enthusiastically let the entire church know how glad he was to see him. For many years, Brent also volunteered teaching a Sunday School class at the Bond Home for senior adults in Madison. Each Christmas, Brent’s sons and their families would perform a Christmas concert and service there, which became one of the most meaningful traditions of the holiday season for the Johnston family.

Brent was preceded in death by his wife, Cynthia D. Johnston; his brother, Bower “Bob” L. Johnston, Jr.; and his grandson, Gregory M. Johnston, Jr. He is survived by his sons, Brent L. Johnston, Jr. (Scarlett), Lewis D. Johnston (Jennifer), and Gregory M. Johnston, Sr. (Michelle); his grandchildren, Brent “Trey” L. Johnston III, Jesse C. Johnston, Jacob G. Johnston, Victoria D. Johnston, and Harrison S. Johnston; and his great-grandson, Rhodes H. Johnston.

The Johnston family expresses its thanks to the wonderful staff at Highland Home in Ridgeland for their loving care and compassion for Brent and the rest of the family over the past several months. A private family burial will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Madison or Master’s Men Ministries, P.O. Box 79363, Dallas, Texas 75379.