Page 3 - A Grateful Life Rev D J Josey May 2017 _Neat

Obituary

Reverend Dorothy Johnson Josey of Washington, NC passed away at Vidant Beaufort Hospital on
Friday, May 12, 2017. She was born the youngest of three and the only daughter to Mr. and Mrs. George
Frank and Emma Jane Cooper Johnson in Philadelphia, PA on March 18, 1929.

God’s calling upon her life was manifested at an early age at Zion Baptist Church, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, where she served in many capacities. Even then, for years she was referred to as
“preacher.” However, it would not be until 1985 upon completion of Seminary that she would be officially
ordained as a gospel preacher. By then she had already helped co-found (in 1976) a special church min-
istering to the holistic needs of the deaf mainstreamed with the hearing. This year that special church,
the Society for Helping Church, celebrated its 41 anniversary with an outstanding track record of minis-
st
try. A member of Cornerstone Missionary Baptist in Greenville since 1992, Rev. Josey served as an Asso-
ciate Minister, Director of Christian Education and Assistant to the Pastor, Rev. Sidney A. Locks, Jr.
Prior to her protracted illness, she actively participated in the Old Eastern Missionary Baptist Associa-
tion in North Carolina.

A retired educator, Rev. Josey taught high school for 33 years in the Philadelphia Public School
System, developed clerical training labs duplicated throughout the City and within a three state area,
and was an adjunct professor at the Community College of Philadelphia. She was one of five blacks to
integrate the 150-member faculty of South Philadelphia High School in 1965. After retiring to North
Carolina, Rev. Josey held membership in or served on the boards of a number of organizations: Pitt
County Council on Aging; the League of Women Voters of Pitt County; Opportunities Industrialization
Center; United Way Allocations Review; Interfaith Council; Tarheel Hospice; Pitt County Mental Health
Association; Black Ministers’ Conference of Pitt County, and Pitt Partners for Health. For a number of
years, Rev. Josey developed and hosted a weekly radio broadcast, “Spiritual Reflections” which aired on
Sunday mornings on WOOW, 1340 AM. In addition, Rev. Josey was Chaplain of the Greenville Alumnae
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. For several years, Rev. Josey volunteered as a chaplain at Pitt
County Memorial Hospital (now Vidant Medical Center) in Greenville and was instrumental in develop-
ing CMBC at PCMH Rehabilitation ministry .

Rev. Josey was elected twice as a Commissioner for the Town of Fountain, NC and staged a pro-
test to protect the town of 500 from environmental injustice. She has been the recipient of numerous
awards and accommodations all of her life. A world-traveler to points around the globe, she climbed the
Great Wall of China, while attending the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing, China in 1995; spent weeks
in the Holy Land, and parts of Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and traveled throughout the Unit-
ed States.

A product of the prestigious academic Philadelphia High School for Girls, Rev. Josey held a Bache-
lor’s Degree in Education from Delaware State College, a Master’s Degree in Education from Temple Uni-
versity, and a Master’s Degree on Religion from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. In
August 2000, Rev. Josey received her second ordination, this time from Cornerstone Missionary Baptist
Church.

She is survived by her only child, Amina (nee Elaine Jacqueline Josey) and son-in-law, Lawrence
R Turner, III; six grandchildren: Imani Owens (Stephen), Shekinah Walsh (Brendan), Rev. Fitrah Mick-
ens (Elvin,, Jr.), Sajadah Shahid-El (Jamiela), Fatimah Forester (Thomas), Laila Shahid-El; three step-
grandchildren: Lauren Turner; Jordan Turner, and Lawrence R. Turner, IV; a total of 18 great grands, a
sister-in-law, Catherine Johnson, as well as a host of relatives and friends.