William Beverly Johnson (“BJ”, “Dollar Bill”), 73, passed away peacefully September 1, 2021, at the Kings Gate Manor Care Center following a courageous fight against cancer. He was born in King William County, Virginia on July 9, 1948, to Rufus Johnson Jr. and Emma Twisdale Johnson Edwards. BJ, as he was lovingly called, received his early education in King William County, VA where he was educated in the public school system before relocating to Washington, D.C. to chase his dreams and to find work. In 1968, he was drafted to serve in the United States Army in Vietnam and received an honorable discharge in 1969.
The simplest pleasures in life brought BJ great joy. He met his lovely wife, his true first lady, Rita, at a D.C. house party in 1971 and married her five years later. They were married for 45 years. Together, they enjoyed traveling, dancing, entertaining friends and hosting family gatherings. Although they did not have children of their own, they inspired and loved many.
BJ joined the Smithsonian Institute, in 1980, as a Security Guard and worked his way up the ranks to Security Manager before his retirement in 2018. He spent 38 years serving the staff and public at several museums, retiring from the American Indian Museum. Bill was a people person who loved chatting daily with museum colleagues and the hundreds of visitors who visited the museums over the years.
On October 25, 1997, Bill was baptized and became a member of the Spirit of Faith Christian Center, under the leadership of Pastors Mike and Dee Dee Freeman, he enjoyed his church family there for several years and served as a faithful member. Later, he became a member of Victory Christian Ministries International and was active in multiple ministries including the Audio/Visual Ministry. BJ was filled with incredible joy serving God and became an avid student of the Bible.
Bill was a lover of music and good times. For more than 40 years, he spent time on weekends spinning records all around the DC area under his DJ name – Dollar Bill. He was known to DJ with the late Chuck Brown, getting the crowd warmed up and on the dance floor with R&B hits at “Breezes” on Bladensburg Road in DC. Bill was DJ for most family gatherings especially during the holidays. He was in charge of the music and entertainment with a wide genre of music and fun games and trivia to keep everyone engaged and on the dance floor.
An avid Baltimore Ravens fan, Bill enjoyed rooting for his favorite team and watching NFL football on Sunday afternoons during the season. A link in our family chain has been broken. We will miss our beloved BJ, his beautiful smile, and warm hugs. We will forever cherish the extraordinary person he was and the beautiful memories of the time we shared with him.
He is predeceased by his parents; step-father, John Edwards; sister, Elizabeth Robinson; father-in-law, Theorin O’Neal; and sister-in-law, Betty Edwards. William leaves to cherish and celebrate his memory: his loving wife and first lady, Rita Johnson; sisters Katherine Stevens (Percy), Ruby Haynesworth (James), Channie Layne (Eugene), Phyllis Taft (Ray), Patricia E. Moore (Clyde); brothers Rufus Johnson (Camille), Wayne O. Johnson, Ronald Edwards (Jackie), Donald Edwards (Sherrie) and Stewart Edwards; mother-in-law, Lucy O’Neal, sister-in-laws, Bernice Lane (Richard); Faye McCreary; brother-in-laws, Bernard O’Neal, Don O’Neal and Kenneth Gary O’Neal; godchild, Ebony Worley, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations of any amount can be made to the National Museum of African American History and Culture to honor Bill’s life, legacy and love for history.
William will be laid to rest at a later date, at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery, located at 11301 Crain Hwy, Cheltenham, MD 20623.
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