Rosylyn Eleanor Johnson was born in Arkansas to Rev. Dr. Augustus Japheth and Jamie Lee (Nichols) on March 28, 1939. She led a full life in a supportive community in Arkansas. She participated in many musical and social activities at Lincoln. Growing up in a segregated community, Rosylyn participated in activities sponsored by Eastern Star, Links Inc, YWCA, Ninth Street Baptist Church, and other community groups. A National Merit Scholar, Rosylyn graduated with honors.
Rosylyn attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, formally known as Arkansas AM&N where she met and married her future husband, Rev. Dr. William (Bill) Earl Johnson. Together, they raised five children; Jamena Joseph (Deceased), Lawrence Johnson, Jacquelyn Holmes, Louis Johnson, and Janeen Foster.
Rosylyn dedicated time to church and community. While managing a full-time job, focusing on her family, and maintaining musical programs at Christian Fellowship and Southeast United Presbyterian Churches, she served the community as a soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Xi Omega, Graduate Chapter. Her appointment by the Mayor of San Diego, Maureen O’Connor, to the Advisory Board of Women illustrated Rosylyn’s dedication to the community.
After her early retirement as an Executive Coach from Pacific Bell/AT&T, Rosylyn served on the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation (TASF) Board of Directors.
Rosylyn passed on January 21, 2023. Her sisters, Jessyca Yucas, Brook Park, OH, Marguerite Hardy, Parkville, MD, Nichola Hutchison, Ypsilanti, MI; her children, Lawrence Johnson, San Diego, CA, Jacquelyn Holmes, Bonita, CA., Louis Johnson, Sapporo, Japan, and Janeen Foster, Winchester, CA.; her sons-in-law Byron Joseph II, Peter Holmes, and LaMont Foster; her grandchildren, Dahnte Sullivan, Jesycha Green, William E. Johnson, II, Juleane Johnson, Janelle Johnson, Jovan Green, and Canaan Foster; her great-grandsons, Jeremiah Hanking and Jadani Tucker, as well as a host of relatives and friends are left to cherish her memory.
