Kathy M Johnson

On September 12st, 2022, one of this world’s brightest lights was dimmed when Kathy Marie Johnson peacefully departed this life while in care at NYU Winthrop Hospital after a brave and determined battle with kidney disease. The unbreakable spirit that defined her life was apparent from the very beginning. Born October 25, 1950, Kathy was the youngest child of Lee Johnson and Ethel Murray. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Kathy was one of the students that helped desegregate New York City’s public schools; she was part of the groundbreaking new program and was bused to Coney Island to attend Sheepshead Bay High School. Despite the challenges of being a young Black girl making her way in a more hostile world, Kathy’s refusal to back down became apparent early on. She would eventually be one of the first Black female graduates from Sheepshead Bay High School and would go on to Brooklyn College. Kathy needed the same perseverance and discipline that helped desegregate a public school system when she became a student at Brooklyn College; during a time when few students looked like her. From the challenges of being a first-generation college student in the late 60’s to dealing with sometime indifferent professors, she once again showed there was little that could bow her, and she went on to graduate. She worked a variety of jobs before her innate desire to help others eventually led her to civil service. Initially she worked with the NYC Human Resources Administration. However, Kathy’s lifelong passion was children; and as such she eventually made her way to the Administration for Children’s Services where her career path was solidified. Caring for at-risk youth is never easy in any era, but it was especially challenging in that era. It took someone of Kathy’s unique bearing to be successful. Even as she helped numerous families while working for ACS, Kathy soon found a family of her own; giving birth to her son Keishone Johnson. Unsurprisingly being a single parent and also climbing the ranks of ACS was no challenge to a woman who had a track record of meeting them head on. She brought her trademark mix of being ready to give the shirt of her back while simultaneously refusing to tolerate bullies (a point she physically made on an occasion or two). She raised a young boy into a man, while also caring for her elderly mother Ethel. She also became something of a surrogate mother and inspiration to the many of her son’s friends she met. Her kind spirit and jovial humor was a light to so many, even though she could quickly remind anyone she was still a Brooklyn girl with Jamaican roots if she encountered what she would call “slackness.” She had a passion for jazz music and would listen to her favorite station CD 101.9 for hours. Seeing her boy become a good and decent man in his own right was the joy of Kathy’s life, but even this was dwarfed with the arrival of her granddaughter Zaria Johnson on Oct. 28, 2006, Even as Kathy still (yes, still) continued her career as one of ACS’s senior staffers, she truly only answered to one job, grandma. Kathy retired from ACS after more than 30 plus years of service. After retirement, Kathy enjoyed her quiet time but liked visits with family and friends as well as sewing, cooking, reading, and exploring various art activities. Kathy will be missed by all her family and friends. She leaves to cherish her memory her loving son Keishone, granddaughter Zaria, her brother Hercules, and her sister Venora, and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Kathy M Johnson

October 27, 1950 - September 12, 2022