Orange Beach, Ala. – (OBA) – Speaking to a crowd, engaging a crowd, has never been a problem for longtime Orange Beach City Councilman Jerry Johnson. Once, at a town hall meeting, former Gov. Bob Riley got up to follow a presentation by Johnson, deadpanning, “If I come back to Orange Beach, y’all don’t make me follow that guy next time.”

Johnson used those skills again on June 2 at his last city council meeting. Delivering a heartfelt, touching and at the same time appreciative address, he resigned his seat so he and wife Yo can spend more time with his ailing grandson.

“63 days ago, my grandson went into the hospital, he’s 14 years old, he had a heart attack,” Johnson told the crowd. “Children’s Hospital has been working with him for the last 63 days. It has taken a lot out of Yo and me. We drive up there, we rotate, we make sure somebody’s up there in that room with him. He’s getting better and a lot of you have been sending prayers and we can’t tell you how much we thank you for that because you feel it when you’re up there. I sure do appreciate that.”

But it’s going to be a long battle for Jacob. One Johnson says he can’t help fight and keep up his obligations to the city.

“I realized pretty quick that I couldn’t have issues up there and be down here,” Johnson said. “From all the information that we have, it’s going to take another 63 to 90 days to get Jacob out of the hospital.”

Jacob, Johnson said, needs to continue to gain enough strength and stamina so he is hardy enough to undergo a heart transplant.

“The answer to the whole thing is he's got to get his strength back and he's got to eat more,” Johnson said. “Most of us say we don't need to eat more but he needs to eat more. His lungs are in good shape. All of this that he had for a long time which was so painful but he has gotten through it.”

Because of his age, Johnson said, he will be moved to the top of the transplant list when his fitness improves enough to endure the operation.

Johnson, who has served on the council since 2012, thanked the mayor and council, the police and fire chiefs and all city workers.

“These people are committed to excellence,” Johnson said. “And you can tell it by the ratings. And you can tell it by the people they are.”

Mayor Tony Kennon and councilmembers Jack Robertson, Ginger Harrelson and Robert Stuart all expressed thanks to Johnson for his leadership and work as a councilmember.

“If I’m half the councilman you are,” Robertson, a new member, said, “I’ll be ecstatic.”

Johnson was the chair of the Council’s Telecommunications and Technology Committee and served on the city’s Government Legislative Committee and the Health Care Authority Board of Directors

He worked doggedly to bring fiber internet to Orange Beach beginning as early as 2017. No small feat considering all major carriers deemed Orange Beach too small for fiber when Johnson began working on the project. Today there are multiple fiber internet providers in the city.

He represented the City on the Gulf Shores International Airport Authority Board of Directors and the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber Board of Directors. Johnson also volunteers and supports various ministries and charities in the community with his wife, Yolanda, who are 20-year residents of the city.