Brenda Louise Johnson

Brenda Louise Johnson, a soul of mirth and courage, hath departed from this mortal coil on the Louise twentieth of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four, in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born under an autumn sky in Winchester, Virginia, upon the twenty-seventh of October in the year nineteen hundred and forty-nine, Brenda's life was a tapestry of love, laughter, and tireless endeavor.

Within the hallowed halls of Sto-Rox High School, she completed her scholarly pursuits in the year of 1967, and thereafter, her quest for knowledge led her to the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy, followed by the esteemed Connelly Trade School, where she mastered the art of medical records. Brenda, who began her illustrious career as a unit clerk at Suburban General Hospital, was a paragon of professional ascension, gracing the corridors of nearly every hospital in Pittsburgh with her presence and expertise. The venerable Allegheny County Coroner, Cyril Wecht, once counted her among his diligent employees. Upon the twilight of her career, she retired as a transcription supervisor from Ohio Valley Hospital, leaving an indelible mark on the medical community.

The essence of Brenda, known endearingly as Brenda to her kin and comrades, was best captured in her fondness for music and dance. Her spirit, ever sprightly, seized each moment with a zest that inspired many a jubilant gathering. With Winchester, Virginia, ever close to her heart, she cherished her journeys home, where she reveled in the company of a family both abundant and dear.

Brenda's kin, a lineage graced by her presence, remain to weave her memory into the fabric of their days. Her lineage was preceded by her father, Walter Douglas Johnson, her mother, Catherine Todd Johnson, and her brothers, Russell, Richard, and Douglas. Yet her legacy endures through her beloved sister, Carol Lee Johnson; her cherished progeny, Robin Johnson, her daughter, and Schuyler Johnson, her son; and her adoring grandchildren, Sydney, Daylon, and Kobe, as well as her great-grandchildren, Josiah, and Johnathan, who will carry forth her light.

In sooth, words such as loving, funny, and courageous are but feeble vessels to contain the boundless spirit of Brenda. For she was a beacon of love, a wellspring of mirth, and a bastion of bravery in the face of life's tempests. As the poet John Donne once penned, "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die." Thus, though Brenda hath succumbed to the silent stroke that claimed her, her essence remains undimmed, her laughter echoes through eternity, and death itself is vanquished by the legacy she leaves.

Let it be known that Brenda Louise Johnson, a matriarch, a friend, and a beacon of unfaltering light, hath left this earth not with a whisper, but with a fanfare of joy and a testament to a life richly lived. Her journey through this earthly realm was a sojourn of love, a dance of delight, and a courageous voyage into the hearts of all she encountered. She hath returned to the stars, and in the firmament, her light shines ever brightly, guiding us through the shadowed paths with the radiance of her memory.

And thus, we bid farewell to Brenda Louise Johnson, not with sorrow's tears, but with the joyous acclaim due to one who hath lived well and loved much. In her, we find the very quintessence of life's splendid pageant, and in her departure, a clarion call to cherish each moment as she did—with love, with laughter, and with indomitable courage.

A Home Going Service will be held on Saturday August 3, 2024, at the Trinity AME Zion Church in Pittsburgh, PA 15204 at 11:00 am