Judith Davis Johnson

Judith Marie Davis Johnson passed away peacefully on June 11, 2024, in Winston-Salem, N.C. from complications of dementia. She was 82.

She will be remembered as a dedicated and loving mother, committed civil servant, talented musician and patron of the arts, lifelong learner, passionate custodian of nature, and for her intelligent sense of humor.

Judith ("Judy") Johnson was born in Washington, D.C., in 1942 to Howard and Ruth Davis. She grew up in Arlington, Va., while her father worked for the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, directing the Food Stamp (now SNAP) and National School Lunch programs. Judy attended Madison and Jamestown Elementary schools, Stratford Junior High, and graduated from Washington & Lee High School in 1960. She earned a B.A. in Government from the College of William & Mary in 1964 and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. In 1966, she married fellow alum Edward Quivron Johnson, and they settled in Arlington.

Judy continued her family's dedication to civil service throughout a 30-year career with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Initially hired as a secretary out of college, she advanced to become a contracting officer and ultimately division chief, overseeing contracts for civilian foreign aid and development assistance in the Asia-Near East bureau. Following her retirement, she consulted for the agency and continued her worldwide travels. Highlights of her career and consultancy included trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan after the Soviet-Afghan War in 1989, as well as assignments in Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Iraq, and beyond.

In addition to her active career, Judy was an avid thespian and musician. She performed in productions at William & Mary under legendary theater professor and director Howard Scammon, including the popular summer production of "The Common Glory" in Colonial Williamsburg. She later performed with community theaters such as Arlington Players, the Little Theatre of Alexandria, Old Deerfield Productions and others. A skilled pianist and vocalist, Judy was a member of several church choirs in Arlington and Charleston, S.C., as well as the Arlington Metropolitan Chorus and Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus.

From a young age, Judy was most at home outdoors, growing up in a bygone Arlington where the once vast woods were her playground. Judy's love of nature continued into her adulthood, and she achieved her lifelong dream of living at the beach when she retired, moving to Seabrook Island, S.C., an area that she loved for its natural beauty and temperate weather.

She spent the next 20 years on Seabrook and Johns Island outside of Charleston, where she invested her time in her many passions including history, as an interpreter and patron of Drayton Hall; music, as a patron of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the College of Charleston School of the Arts, Chamber Music Charleston and Spoleto Festival USA; and nature, as a staunch advocate for conservation of South Carolina's coastal region and protection of its marshes and wildlife. She was a member of the Coastal Master Naturalist Association, having completed Master Naturalist Training. Judy also continued her travels throughout the world with a dedicated group of friends who shared her love of adventure.

Above all, Judy was a lifelong learner and avid reader who immersed herself in topics from Gullah history to biographies of the founders of American democracy and beyond. Her love of history was known to many - particularly her family and friends, who received many history lessons over the years, and who will remember her most vividly as sitting in a comfortable chair, reading a book.

Judy is survived by her children: Capt. Edward Davis Johnson, USN (Stephanie) of Annapolis, Md., and Katherine Johnson Gordon (Quin) of Winston-Salem; three grandchildren: Evan Jeffrey Johnson, Riley Eve Johnson, and Cora Rose Gordon; former husband, Edward Johnson of Reston; and sister, Katherine Richardson (William) of Arlington.

A memorial service will be held at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston on Sept. 14 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to South Carolina's Coastal Conservation League (www.coastalconservationleague.org/).