Johnnie Mae Washington

WHERE MY STORY BEGAN

I was born September 8, 1939, in Drew, Mississippi, to Paul and Willie Mae Coleman, the oldest of their four children. On May 14, 1955, I married Robert Washington Jr., and from our union eleven children were born. In 1958 we moved to Chicago, where I attended Cooley High School, and I spent more than twenty five years caring for others as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Holy Cross Nursing Home until I retired in 1998.

THE FAITH THAT CARRIED ME

I accepted Christ at an early age at Pentecostal Way COGIC under Elder George Sneed alongside my family, we then joined Christian Temple FBH Church in 1973 under Pastor Daniel McCullough. In 1998, I joined Fizer Temple COGIC under Pastor John Fluker. In 2021, I returned home to Christian Temple under Pastor Sheldon Little, where I served faithfully on the Mothers Board until God called me home.

I GET TO SEE THEM AGAIN

Family, I know my leaving is difficult, but rest assured, I am walking into a heavenly family reunion, where I get to see my parents, Paul and Willie Mae Coleman, my siblings, George and Birt Lee,my husband, Robert C. Washington, and four of my children, Charles, Brenda, Linda, and Lavelle. I get to see the heavenly masterpieces my grandson Obbie has prepared, and the smiles of my niece Demetrice and nephew Johnny and so many others. There are some reunions you wait a lifetime for, and mine has finally come.

IT IS FINISHED

The Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and I held onto that promise my whole life. On August 15, 2026, at 8:26 a.m., I peacefully left this life at home surrounded by the love of my family.

WHAT I LEAVE BEHIND

To my children, Lucille, Ronald, Patricia, Debra (Eric), Sharon (Develle), Lucinia (Samuel), and Toya, mothering did not come with instructions and I did not get everything right, but when look at who you all have become, I know it was all worth it. To Dennis, Katherine, and Albert, I loved you as if you were my own, and to my daughter in law Vivian (Charles), when i see my son I will tell him that your love for me remained the same.

To my sister, Annie, you were never just my sister, you were my friend and my prayer partner, and everything we built is still standing all around you, so keep your head up and keep smiling knowing I will see you again. To my 40 grandchildren, 88 great grandchildren, and 44 great great grandchildren, you are proof that what started with me did not stop with me, so pass the love and the faith down and keep the family together. To my nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, do not think for one second that you were on the outside looking in, because I never loved you like extra family, I loved you like mine, because you were mine. To my niece Sheree, we could not get through a phone call or a visit without laughing, now I want you to keep the family smiling for your Granny Love.

To my friend, Ms. Carolyn Coffee, dialysis was never easy, but laughing and praying alongside you these past few years turned a hard season into a blessing. To my bonus nieces, Brenda and Regina Cooper, your mother Flora Bell Cooper was my best friend, and now the two of you can rest knowing she and I are celebrating in heaven together.

I LOVE YOU MORE

Every time we ended a call or a visit, I said love you more, and now I need you all to live those words, love each other more, show up more, forgive more, pray more, and keep God at the center of it all. Do not spend too much time saying goodbye, because I lived, I loved, I raised my family, I served, and I kept my faith, and when my work was finished, God called me home. So this is not goodbye, I will see you later, and just in case you thought you could get the last word, I love you more.

With Love, Mother Johnnie Mae Washington