Remarkable story of Lawrence Johnson, Main Line chauffeur who lived to 108

ARDMORE, Pa. (WPVI) -- In Montgomery County, they came to a viewing Tuesday night to pay respects to an extraordinary man.

This is the remarkable story of 108-year-old Lawrence Johnson of Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

He was born May 6, 1907 in Reidsville, North Carolina where his parents, sharecroppers, had a tobacco farm.

That's where he met the former Minnie Drumwright, his wife of 79 years.

"When she first met him she was about 23 and she fell in love with him instantly," Lawrence's son Albert Johnson told Action News.

The couple would later move to Ardmore where he would become a Main Line chauffeur driving some pretty famous people.

"Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, and he also drove Nelson Rockefeller when he was in Maine," Albert said.

Lawrence Johnson was a patriarch of the Bethel A.M.E. Church where he was a longtime member.

Reverend Carolyn Cavaness remembers the first time meeting him.

"[He said], 'This is Lawrence Johnson.' And it was in a way that you knew you were in the presence of someone very, very special," Reverend Cavaness said.

If there was a key to his longevity, his friends will tell you "he was smiling all the time."

"I think that was one of the things, that he didn't get into the angry part," friend Louis Coursey said.

But that wasn't all.

"His eating habits, he didn't eat a lot, but he ate good food," friend Donald Jackson said.

Another thing friends and family say about Johnson is that he loved cars.

His first car was a 1914 Model T.

"He drove until he was 103. He would have continued driving had he not fallen and broken his leg," Albert said.

His church named the social hall in his honor for his dedication and many years of service. That's where you'll find a portrait of Lawrence and his wife.

"When I walk through, I can't help but be inspired and know that God granted him 108 years to live and be on the earth," Reverend Cavaness said. "Certainly a testament to him and he will certainly be missed."