Mary Anna Johnson

Mary Anna Eady Johnson was born on May 12th 1937 to the late Anna Eady and Willie McFadden in Zion, South Caolina. Mary was 6th of 10 siblings that shared an unbreakable bond under the watchful eye of their parents and Grandmother Mary for whom she was named. She received her formal education through the South Carolina School system at Walker Gamble School. After completing her schooling she began to work full-time along side her family working the land and other duties on the McFadden Farm to support the family. Mary was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ at an early age. The Eady family were devout members of Lodebar Baptist Church where she served in many capacities alongside her siblings and many cousins. She had a very close relationship with her family and spent every Sunday together at church and Sunday dinner with their weekly baseball games. On November 21, 1955 Mary Anna Eady and Robert Lee Johnson Jr. were wed in Holy Matrimony in Clarendon County, South Carolina. After they wed they moved to Lake City, South Carolina where their union was blessed with 2 daughters Anna Inez Johnson born October 21st 1956 and Fanny Bell Johnson born on February 9th 1961. Mary was a homemaker for many years caring for her family. Although she moved to Lake City she visited home often to spend time with her family and to ensure that the close knit family bond continued through to the next generation. Mary relocated back to New Zion a few years after her marriage to help her mother and raise her children together with her nieces and nephews so that could form the same bond that she had growing up with her cousins. In 1965 Mary along with her 2 children and her mother she moved to Baltimore, Maryland joining her siblings to provide her children access to better educational and financial opportunity. Shortly after their arrival she found employment at a diner as a cook for a short time but gained steady employment as a housekeeper for the Zimmerman family until his children became teenagers. In 1977 Mary found new employment as housekeeper and cook for the Kissel family becoming a part of their family helping to care for his ailing wife up until her death and continued to work for the family and retired in 1999. Mary became a grandmother figure to Mr. Kissel's 3 granddaughters and kept contact for years after her retirement until his death in 2005. Mama strength and tenacity came from her faith in God. Shortly after she moved to Baltimore she joined Christ Temple Church under the leadership of Rev. Mother Mamie Johnson. Mary was a very dedicated active member and served on the Missionary board, Usher Board, Pastor’s Aid Ministry, and Choir. Every Sunday could be found in church every Sunday, bible study and choir rehearsal every week knowing the word of God raising her girls to have a strong belief in God and the importance of living a life that would be pleasing to God. After Christ Temples Church she joined The Holy Cross Spiritual Temple under the leadership of Rev. Blache Wicks where she served tirelessly to help the ministry spread the gospel of Jesus Christ for many years until Prophetess Wicks passed on in 2010. For 5 generations, Mary stood at the heart of our family-a foundation of love, strength and unwavering devotion. She was our southern roots and was more than a Matriarch; she was the glue that kept us together ensuring that no matter where life took us, we remained bound by the traditions and values she held dear. Though our southern roots stretched northward, her home remained a sanctuary of warmth, where love was served alongside every-home-cooked meal. Her door was never closed, her arms never withheld, and her table never empty. Every Friday; family and friends gathered in her home to shake off the weight of the work week, finding comfort in familiar faces and the simple joy of communion. Fried fish cornbread fritters, and fried potatoes graced the table, seasoned with the laughter and stories shared over every plate. Every holiday, summer break, our Mama made sure that the family remained close, no matter how far life carried them. South Carolina-her home, her heart-was more than just a destination; it was the place where time stood just long enough for everyone to remember what was rekindled, where time stood still just long enough for everyone to remember what truly mattered. Summer was a magical time. For at least a week, stayed at her brother John’s home where every corner was filled with laughter and funny stories and shared memories with nieces, nephews and cousins. Buch as she was loving called by her cousins and friends when it was time to return back to north they hated to part ways and go back to the responsibilities of work longing for the next time they would stay up half the night and listen to made up stories by her nephew about pickpocket snakes. She made sure our family traditions did not stop with her generation but was passed down and not replaced by video calls. Mama was much more than just grandmother-she was the heart of a home that closed the doors, the steady hands that built a foundation of love and the warmth that wrapped around everyone who needed it. She raised four grandchildren ensuring that the values she held dear were passed down, shaping not just her own family but an entire community. Despite working a full-time job, she never let her responsibilities overshadow her devotion to family. She made sure her grandchildren had not just food on the table, but home-cooked meals filled with love, stability, and tradition. But her love was never confined to just her family-it extended far beyond. Mary Anna Johnson leaves to cherish her memory two siblings Lottie Bell Eady of Baltimore, MD,* John Eady (Evelyn proceeded her in death) * two children Anna Johnson-Lampkin (John)* Fanny Johnson-Martin (Tony Sr) proceeded her in death* six grandchildren Sheavron Fortune-Reid (Wayne)*Shentel Jackson * Joanna Lampkin* *Mary Lampkin*Ozella Elliott * Tony Martin Jr*(Shaneka)* Seventeen great-grandchildren: Donte, Jonnie, Chanel, Lonnell, D’Asia, Tyreke, Allen, Tamere, Tyjuan, Tabori, Iiam, Jace, Jahn, one grandchild proceeded her in death - Jeri Anna Martin and two great-grandchildren proceeded her in death * Esjuan Williams and Nyuan Barbour. A host of cousins, nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives, friends and an entire community* two adopted grandchildren Sharae Lonon and Patricia Dinkins.

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Mary Anna Johnson

May 12, 1937 - April 7, 2025