Sally Johnson

search Sally Wood Johnson on the internet you will find “the Johnsons: A Love Story on

the Hilltop” from Birmingham Southern College’s blog; “Artist: Sally Wood Johnson,

American, born 1933” on the Birmingham Museum of Art website; “Artist's models

were 'meant to be' part of exhibit” an article at al.com about a Meet the Artist event at

the Mobile Museum of art; “Sally Wood Johnson Samford Art Gallery”, a youTube video

of her show at Samford University; and many other entries detailing her work as an artist.

But she was much more than that.

Sally Ann Wood was born January 5, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio to Hubert L. and Ethel

Baumgartner Wood. She is predeceased by her parents, her sisters Janice and Phyllis, her

husband of 67 years James C. Johnson, MD, and her sons Curt and Mark Johnson. She is

survived by her sister Nancy (Tony) Rhead of Charlotte, NC, her daughters Susan

Johnson Lawrence and Sally Ann Johnson Morriss, grandchildren James Johnson

Lawrence and Mattilene Rose Lawrence, Sarah Ann Morriss, Kateland Avery Morriss

(Scott), and Daniel James Christian Morriss (Karen). Her nieces and nephews were

precious to her: Marty Pinion, Mary Weber, Kelly Patterson (Tommy), Michael Rhead

(Lisa), Karen Tate (Mike), David Pinion (Jackie), Amy Royer (Mike), Jack Royer

(Lillian), and Will Royer (Hope).

She spent part of her childhood in Montgomery, where she had a horse named Arab. Her

family moved to Leeds, AL and she graduated from high school there at age 15. She

enrolled at Birmingham Southern College to continue her education, and that’s where she

met the love of her life, Jim Johnson. After she graduated from BSC in 1953, and Jim

was in Medical School at what would become UAB, they married at First Methodist

Downtown. Sally worked at Southern Research while Jim finished Medical School.

Their first child, James Curtis Johnson, Jr. (Curt), was born during this time.

Sally and Jim moved to Texas where Jim spent two years in the Air Force as a flight

surgeon. Captain and Mrs. Johnson welcomed their second child, Susan Lee Johnson, in

San Antonio. Dr. Johnson decided to leave the Air Force to begin his career in private

practice back in Birmingham. Sally and Jim settled in Bluff Park upon returning to the

Birmingham area. Jim did a residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital and Sally

became a vibrant part of the Bluff Park Art Association and the PTA at Bluff Park

School. As president of the PTA she spearheaded the movement to build a library at the

school, begun with seed money from Mervyn Sterne, a Bluff Park resident. She was one

of the founders of The Bluff Park Art Show, now in its 62nd year, and served as president

of the Bluff Park Art Association. She was an exhibiting artist for many years at the

show and continued her support of the event and of the association.

Her second son, Mark Christopher Johnson, was born while she lived in Bluff Park, as

was her second daughter, Sally Ann Johnson. Her housekeeper was Henrietta Baylor,

who was one of the family and helped raise the 4 children. Mrs. Johnson was active at

Camp Sumatanga as an evening program coordinator for many years. She was also a

president of the Jefferson County Medical Society Women’s Auxiliary.

Mrs. Johnson worked in watercolor and later, acrylic, and went to Kyoto Japan in 1983 to

learn how to make her own paper. She then began making constructions with her

hand-made paper and incorporating photography into her work.

From 1970 through 1991, Sally Wood Johnson received 12 awards. She has had 27

one-person exhibitions of her work at locations which include the Birmingham Museum

of Art, the DuPont Gallery at Washington and Lee University, and the Kentuck Museum.

Two-person shows were at Lamar Dodd Art Center, La Grange Georgia, and the

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC. Her work was seen in

over 150 group exhibitions ranging from the Hitachi Invitational in Japan to Sonoma

University in California, from the Harold Washington Center in Chicago to the American

Museum of Paper in Atlanta, and in many local shows over the years. Her work is

included in two bound publications, Contemporary American Sculptors, and Functions of

the Fantastic. She created 3 walnut panels for Canterbury United Methodist Church

which tell the stories of the Old Testament; the life of Christ; and the story of John

Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

Sally Wood Johnson is best remembered for her gracious, charming personality, her

beauty, her intelligence, her welcoming and loving interactions with family and friends,

her creativity, her sense of fun, her contributions to her community, and her love of

Nature. She could make a house a home, and throw a great party.

Her memorial service will be at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook

on Friday, June 20th, 2025 at 10:00 am. Visitation with the family will be afterward in

the parlor downstairs. All are welcome. May light perpetual shine upon her.