Johnny Allen Waters

After a long and courageous battle with kidney failure, Johnny Allen Waters passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on the morning of May 11, 2026. To his family and friends, Johnny was larger than life — the kind of man who could light up a room, make strangers feel like old friends, and somehow turn an ordinary evening into one nobody would forget. He leaves behind a lifetime of stories, laughter, friendships, and memories that will continue to live on through all who knew and loved him.

Born in Edmond, Oklahoma, Johnny was adopted shortly after birth by Johnnie Waters Jr. and Nellie Louise Gray Waters. He spent his early years growing up in Littlefield, Texas, before moving to Louisiana as a teenager alongside his father.

Music was one of Johnny’s great loves, and he turned that love into his first career as the band manager for Texas Rose and Uncle Rainbow. After years of dedication and determination, he proudly helped the band secure a record deal. In 1978, while working as a band manager in California, Johnny met the love of his life, Debbie Waters. The two quickly fell in love, married, and returned to Sulphur, Louisiana, where together they built a home and family that became the center of his world.

Johnny then found success in the automobile business, beginning as a used car salesman before eventually owning his own business as a wholesale buyer for dealerships throughout the South. He took great pride not only in his work, but in the friendships and relationships he built along the way.

Outside of work, Johnny loved working in the yard, fishing, cooking, and hosting friends and family at his home. He was happiest when surrounded by people he loved with a cigarette and fresh Gin and Tonic. He was a devoted husband, loving father and Papa, loyal friend, and the kind of man who never left anyone guessing what he thought. If Johnny loved you, you knew it! And if he disagreed with you… well, you probably knew that too. His honesty, humor, and larger-than-life personality are part of what made him unforgettable to everyone who crossed his path.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Debbie Waters; his children, Brian Waters and Jennifer Koplos (James); his cherished granddaughter, Evelyn; his brother, Tommie Waters; and his niece and nephew, Ben and Emily Waters.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Johnnie Waters Jr. and Nellie Louise Gray Allcorn, and his close friend Gary Duplichan.

Services for Johnny will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Times are still pending.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Ahad Lohdi and his team at Fresenius Kidney Care for their compassionate care and support over the past ten years, as well as Nurse Jenn with Allegiance Hospice, Dr. Rebecca Braud at Davies Family Practice and Dr. Brian Gamborg for their kindness, patience, and dedication.