Virginia Ann Johnson

Heaven's laughter just doubled. Virginia Johnson’s laugh was something you immediately noticed and would never forget.

Virginia had a sharp sense of humor and was always joking around. She was in good spirits and laughing up until the end. She was ready and went peacefully on her own terms -- at home in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Virginia was born in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Girls’ Latin School in Boston, which is now Boston Latin Academy. After graduating, she attended State College at Boston, now part of UMass Boston, where she studied Education. She fully embraced college life and all it offered her. She became an AKA (Alpha Kappa Alpha) and took great pride in being a soror. In this sorority, she found lifelong friends -- including a future sister-in-law and godmothers to her children. Pink and green for life!

She met her husband, Thomas E. Johnson (deceased) at a dance and they married in 1962. Upon graduating college, Virginia became an elementary school teacher for Boston Public Schools, which she greatly enjoyed. Her daughter was even named after a former student. She left teaching to focus on family.

Virginia and her husband and children moved from Boston to Brookline for a few years and then to Bridgewater. She remained in Bridgewater until moving to Quincy, Massachusetts in late 2022. As her children grew older, Virginia worked part-time at Jordan Marsh in Brockton at Westgate Mall. She later studied and worked as a paralegal. Throughout her life, Virginia was very active with the Bridgewater community. She volunteered with the Friends of the Bridgewater Public Library and was especially interested in the Arts.

She loved going to museums and enjoyed painting and drawing. For several years, she was involved with the planning of the Bridgewater juried arts festival. She also volunteered with the Mass Cultural Council reviewing grants. She was a Renaissance woman – a lifelong learner who was interested in everything.

In 1985, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Treatment was difficult, but she persevered and became a survivor. She beat cancer and lived forty more years!

Virginia saw the diagnosis as an opportunity to help others. She was very active in Relay for Life, which is a fundraising walk for the American Cancer Society. She enjoyed the camaraderie of other survivors and was always willing to tell her survivor story to encourage others. Especially for those newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Being the parent of a disabled child, she became extremely active in the disability community, so that her son could live a full and meaningful life.

As she grew older, she enjoyed activities and outings with the Bridgewater Senior Center. In 2020, as part of her participation in the Senior Center, she became involved with The Reunion Project. It was a way to combat the isolation of the pandemic and do something new. She and 28 other elders were interviewed by college students about their lives. Current pictures of them as elders were displayed alongside pictures of them in their youth were exhibited on Bridgewater’s Town Common. Virginia was interviewed by The Brockton Enterprise about the project. She said “It sounded interesting and I think that's my feeling about history, that the true history of a community is the history of each individual person.”

Virginia loved watching sports and was especially a Patriots and Celtics fan. In her younger days, she enjoyed playing tennis.

Food was also one of her favorite things. For several years she was an avid gardener and enjoyed growing fresh vegetables and flowers. While she did not do much cooking or baking in her later years, she developed a special fondness for German chocolate cake, which she had for dessert every night in her final weeks, for as long as she could. In her younger days, she was an amazing baker and cook. For many family holidays, she was the “one” who made the macaroni and cheese. She also loved baking Christmas cookies and sending them to loved ones around the country.

How do you sum up a life like Virginia’s? She filled her 85 years with love, creativity and memories. She will not be forgotten.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William H. Wilkins, Sr. and Katherine A. (Sheridan) Wilkins. Virginia left behind two children, Jomo L. Johnson of Brockton, Massachusetts and Lisa C. Johnson of Quincy, Massachusetts.

Virginia was the eldest sister of eleven siblings: William H. Wilkins, Jr. (deceased), Theodore S. Wilkins, Sr. (deceased), Warren R. Wilkins (deceased), Herbert P. Wilkins, Sr. (deceased), Richard M. Wilkins, Charles F. Wilkins, Dorothy I. Wilkins, Priscilla M. (Wilkins) Lopes, Katherine S. Wilkins and Joyce (Wilkins) Nkwah. Virginia also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, friends and acquaintances.

A wake (11am) and service (12pm) to celebrate Virginia’s life will take place on Friday, November 7, 2025, at Davis Funeral Home, 89 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury, MA 02119. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to the United Negro College Fund or the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.

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