Lorraine Brown Johnson

Life Reflection of Mrs. Lorraine B Johnson Mrs. Lorraine B Johnson, daughter of the late Mr. Ransom Brown and Mrs. Annie Belcher Brown, was born in New Kent County, Virginia on October 5, 1914. After 101 years of doing his will, God called her to rest on Wednesday, December 2, 2015. Mrs. Johnson accepted Christ at age thirteen doing a revival at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Barhamsville, Virginia and was baptized at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in West Point. After moving to Richmond in 1935, she joined Fifth Baptist Church where she met the late Mr. John M. Johnson Sr.The two married in 1939 and were blessed with six children. Mrs. Johnson frequently advised her grandchildren, "If you are looking for a good husband or wife ,do like I did.Go to church." Over the years, Mrs. Johnson was an active member of Fifth Baptist Church. She taught Sunday School and served as a Girl Scout Troop leader, a Missionary Society Circle leader and a sponsor for the Youth Choir. She was a member of Usher Board #2 and the president of The Daughters of Jephthah. Under her leadership, The Daughters of Jephthah established the Children’s Nursery, the College Scholarship Fund and the “Mother of the Year” program. The organization also raise funds to help needy families and children in the community. A forever giving person, Mrs. Johnson was involved in numerous community and civic organizations such as the Delver Women’s Club, the Novice Club, the Mary C. Steward Order of the Eastern Star #128, and the NAACP. She digitally worked at the polls assisting and processing voters doing local, state, and national elections, and she served as a disaster relief volunteer with the American Red Cross. She and her children were the recipients of the “1981 Anheuser-Busch Family of the Year Award.” Mrs. Johnson always advocated the importance of education. After completing the ninth grade at the West Point Colored School she continued her education at Thyne Institute in Chase City, Virginia and graduated from Armstrong High School in Richmond. She furthered her education at Van De Vyver School of Business, Virginia State University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and J Sargeant Reynolds Community College. She also attended the Quartermaster School at Fort Lee. She was employed at the Medical College of Virginia and later worked for Richmond Public Schools until her retirement. An avid storyteller, Mrs. Johnson touched the lives of her family and friends by sharing stories about the past. She had a remarkable memory and subsequently shared her recollections of growing up in the West Point during segregation, living in New York doing the Harlem Renaissance, and boycotting the stores along Broad Street in Richmond during the Civil Rights Movement. She was preceded in death by her two sisters Purnell B Jones and Beulah E Brown; son Rev. John M. Johnson Jr; daughter, Alice J Harris; grandson John M Johnson III; and great-granddaughter Sanaa Thomas. She is survived by a son Rev. Everette C. Johnson,Sr., three daughters Yvonne J. Carter, Rhonda J Young, and Amy J. Harris; three-sons- in- law, Vernon L. Carter Jr., Posey R. Young and Rayford L Harris, Jr.; thirteen grandchildren ten great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild. The family is profoundly thankful to Rhonda Young care for her mother after several hospitalizations during the past year and Kathy Johnson Thomas, who traveled from Charlotte, NC, to help take care of her grandmother when she became critically ill during the last days of her life.

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Lorraine Brown Johnson

October 5, 1914 - December 2, 2015