Anna P. Johnson

THE LIFE OF ANNA PRISCILLA JOHNSON Anna Priscilla Johnson (née Davis) was born on March 8, 1925 in Philadelphia to her loving parents, the late Sylvanus Davis and the late Madeline (née Davis) Smith. She was the youngest of 5 children, Samuel, Dorothy, Margaret, and Julia. At the age of 3, her father passed away and she moved with her mother and Julia to Chester, PA. During her formative years, Anna was also raised by her Aunt Pearl who spoiled her by making sure that she had the finer things in life. A little fun fact is that she was born Annie Priscilla Johnson and unofficially changed her name to Anna so as not to be associated with little Orphan Annie. In 1943, Anna married William Frank Johnson, Sr. (Wiggy) and to this union, they were blessed with two wonderful sons, William Frank Johnson, Jr. and Abdul Haqq Shabazz. She very affectionately referred to them as Bill and Wilby. Anna accepted the Lord as her personal Savior at an early age and was a member of Temple Baptist Church. She was a praying woman, and she loved Jesus! Anna was educated in the Chester Public School System. She attended nursing school and worked in the health care industry as a nurse. She also worked as a caregiver to many family members, including her beloved Aunt Pearl. Prior to her retirement, she worked at Wilmington Senior Center. Anna moved to Wilmington, DE in 1974 and spent much of her time with her grandchildren and visiting friends and family. She was a trailblazer by her own right and was one of the first three African Americans to live in Luther Towers Senior High Rise. She would often tell a story about her experience there as a black woman. It goes as such, she had just gotten off work and was riding the elevator with three white women. She had a brown bag with food that she brought from her job. She said the ladies smiled at her. They exchanged greetings, and she got off. The next day, she rode the elevator with the same ladies. She had the same brown bag. Again, like the day before, they smiled and exchanged greetings. Yet this time, one of the ladies asked, “Who do you work for in this building?” She responded, “ANNA JOHNSON on the 10th floor. That’s me. DO YOU KNOW HER?” and walked off. Anna is a sweetheart, but do not get her started. She will lay you out! She enjoyed traveling all over the world including Bergen, Norway and Southampton, England. However, her fondest memories were spent traveling to see her son in multiple states. She was constantly on the road up and down Interstate 95 visiting friends and family in her green Regal. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. They each held a very special place in her heart, and she was also very loved by them. She often boasted about each of them and was eager to share what they were doing professionally, as parents, or as beautiful human beings. Everyone who knew Anna…loved Anna! Her beautiful smile and infectious laughter touched the hearts of all. When you saw her, your day would immediately be brighter. She had an absolute love for music. Her favorite past time was tapping her feet and swinging her hips to the latest tunes. A good song would come on, and she would yell, “Heyyyy…that’s my song” as she rocked from side to side! Anna was fun, she was caring, and she was direct when it came to coming correct. We will all smile and remember her most by her favorite line…”Wash your hands!” She made sure not only our hands were clean, but our spirits were clean. She will be so dearly missed! On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Anna went home to be with the Lord. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her siblings, Samuel Davis, Dorothy (Davis) Watts, Margaret (Davis) Blake, Julia (Davis) Jenifer, two daughters-in-law, Sandra Johnson and Cora Shabazz. Anna will be forever remembered by her devoted son, William (Buggs) Johnson, Jr., son, Abdul Haqq-Shabazz (Wilby), 16 grandchildren, James Williams, Marvin Williams, Anna Williams (who preceded in her in death), Andre Anderson, Hakeem Shabazz, Kweli Hall, Antoinette Cummings, Dennis Blackwell, Gamil Hall, Nina Hestor, Najiyyah Harris, Piarette Bates, Cushan Hall, Maryam Harris, Muminah Hall, and Saleemah Harris, 29 great grandchildren, 33 great great grandchildren, three special nieces, Jeanette Groce, Carrie Rawls, and Madeline Warren, and a host of nephews, nieces, family, friends, and caregivers.

Anna P. Johnson

March 8, 1925 - June 7, 2023