Dorothy Marie Johnson

Dorothy was born June 22, 1929 in Barboursville, Virginia (Orange County), to the late George Willie Hill and Viola Blakey Hill. She was the fifth child of seven daughters. She attended school in Barboursville (Number 7) for primary and middle grades and graduated from (Lightfoot), the newly built (1930) county high school for African American students.

Dorothy met the "love of her life" at Lightfoot, Lewis Monroe Johnson. The expanded draft age had disrupted his senior year and he returned to school to continue his education. They were married after graduation in 1947 and moved to Hampton, Virginia where Lewis pursued a degree in cabinet making at Hampton Institute. Upon graduation, they moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where her husband began a job as a cabinet maker (the first African American cabinet maker hired by John Widdicomb Furniture Maker Company) and in later years he became Vice President of Manufacturing with the company.

Dorothy pursued a nursing career in Grand Rapids. She became an LPN with education in pharmacology, psychology applied to patient care, surgical, and pediatric care. She worked at St. Mary's, Mary Free Bed, and Blodgett Hospitals.

A baptized member of the Blue Run Baptist Church (Orange, Virginia) and a faithful member of Messiah Baptist Church (Grand Rapids), Dorothy valued family, faith, friends, kindness, honesty, and giving support and service to others. She not only opened her home to family for extended stay while attending school, but to others as well.

Dorothy returned to the East Coast and made her home in Maryland at Asbury Methodist Village where she and her sister found companionship and support in the years that followed. At Asbury Methodist Village she readily helped others in need of care.

Dorothy's gentle spirit touched many people she encountered. She was known for her quiet wisdom: always ready to listen, to comfort, to uplift others. Though humble, her impact was heartfelt in every kind word, every thoughtful gesture, in every moment of shared laughter.

While we grieve her passing, we celebrate a life lived with compassion, generosity, and unwavering support for those she loved. She is survived by many loving family members (nieces, nephews, cousins, and other cherished loved ones whose lives were shaped by her love; including her sister, Evelyn Verneta Hill Skinner of Spring Hope, North Carolina.

A Committal Service will be held at the Blakey Cemetery, 16262 Hardwick Mountain Drive, Gordonsville, VA 22942, on August 16, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.