
Brenda Sue Johnson, 67, passed away on Thursday, October 27th, 2016 in Norfolk, VA. Brenda was born on October 4th, 1949 in Pearisburg, VA to Curtis and Margaret Brooks. Brenda was the wife James E. Johnson and was a High School Teacher for Norfolk Public School.
Before Brenda passed she wrote an Autobiography.
I, Brenda Sue Johnson, was born October 4th, 1949 in Pearisburg, Virginia. My dad’s name was Curtis Brooks and my mother’s name was Margaret Brooks. There were six children, four boys and two girls born to the union of this marriage.
I lived with my parents until the age of three. My mother became very ill and my step-aunt, Florence Price, took me to stay with her husband, Theartrick Price in Bluefield, West Virginia until my mother recovered from her illness. When my mother’s health improved, she didn’t require my step-aunt to bring me back. My parents felt that I had a greater opportunity with my foster parents. They did stipulate that I could not be adopted. I resided with my foster parents until the age of 22.
I attended Jones Street Elementary and Genoa Junior High School in Bluefield, West Virginia. I graduated from Park Central High School in 1967. I entered Bluefield State College in 1967 and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1971.
At the completion of my college training, I entered a Master’s program in Elementary Education. I received my M.A. degree in 1976 from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies.
In 1971, I married James Edward Johnson. I was employed by Mercer Country Schools at this time as a Title I Reading and Math teacher for two years. I later worked as a first grade teacher. I worked in that capacity for six years.
My husband was transferred to Virginia Beach and I am presently working with the Norfolk Public Schools as a first grade teacher.
We recently received a traumatic experience in attempting to adopt a 10 month old boy. We were only able to keep the baby for approximately 24 hours. We really noticed a void in our lives when we had to return the baby back to the mother. My husband and I decided that this void must be filled.
We are looking forward to raising a child. We hope to provide a happy wholesome environment and we will try to do the best job possible in helping our child grow into a happy, healthy and effective citizen.
Because of our backgrounds and experiences, my husband and I feel that we can provide a caring and stable environment for a child. We have met obstacles and have devoted our lives to each other and to our careers. We now feel like we would like to place our devotion on making significant change in someone else’s life.
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