Ms. Theresa Yvonne Martin-Johnson

On Thursday, January 9th, 2025, Theresa Yvonne Martin Johnson (born December 12th, 1949), transitioned to eternal rest at Piedmont Atlanta Metropolitan Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia at age 75, following an extended illness. The daughter of the late Leola E. Glisson and the late Frank C. Martin, Sr., Theresa was born in Sumter County, South Carolina into a loving family of academics and agriculturalists who nurtured her interests in community, self-development, adventure, and self-actualization. Educated in the public schools of Sumter County, South Carolina, Theresa attended the Emmanuel United Methodist Episcopal Church Kindergarten program, the Stone Hill Elementary School, Bates Jr. High School, and was enrolled for two years at Sumter’s Lincoln High School prior to becoming one of the first Americans of African descent to integrate Edmunds High School during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina. As part of a courageous and historic group of pioneering African-American students selected by the local NAACP, she enrolled in the formerly segregated Edmunds High School as a Junior in 1966. Upon graduating from Edmunds in 1967, Theresa matriculated at the prestigious Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) where she found a community of life-long friends and colleagues. She graduated with the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F. A.) degree majoring in Fine Art in 1971. In addition to her BFA, Theresa obtained Certification in Systematic Curriculum and Instructional Development from Ohio State University in 1998 specializing in needs assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree at Hampton, Theresa embarked on a career in public civil service. She began her career in Washington, DC as an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer Recruiter from 1971-1976. While with AmeriCorps, she transferred to the New Jersey/New York region working for a time out of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. She eventually transferred to serve in the Atlanta office. Continuing her career in government service, she was later employed by the United States Department of the Treasury where she achieved a number of promotions and recognitions for her professionalism and dedication, serving as: Program Manager, Customer Service Curriculum Development Specialist, Customer Service Technical Readiness Assessment Specialist, Chief Regional Technical Training Section Manager, Master Faculty Corporate Education Specialist, Course Writer Service-Wide Core Management, Project Program Manager for Service-Wide Course Development, and Chief in the Accounts/Programs Institute. Theresa retired in 2014 from the Internal Revenue Service where she worked within the Division of Human Resources, Learning, and Education on a national level in Management Program Analysis for the IRS. Theresa’s meritorious tenure with the Internal Revenue Service earned her the esteemed Albert Gallatin Award, the United States Department of the Treasury’s highest career service award. Theresa was formerly married to engineer and veteran of the armed services, Edgar Johnson originally of Charlotte, NC. Their union of 25 years was blessed by the birth of two sons, Michael Edgar Johnson, now of Edmonton, Alberta Canada and Zachary Miles Johnson of Atlanta, GA. A dedicated amateur musician, Theresa studied piano in her youth and enjoyed classical music, the complex rhythms of Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Hip-Hop, and a rich variety of diverse musical forms. Theresa was particularly fond of Gospel and religious music, extending to her joyful participation for many years on the choir of Cascade United Methodist Church. An enthusiastic sportswoman, Theresa was a YWCA-certified Lifeguard, with a life-long interest in swimming. In addition to being a tennis enthusiast from her high school years through her retirement; she also became an avid golfer. Theresa sustained an interest in the fine arts from her youth, and particularly in geometric abstraction and in interior design. She supported and patronized various arts institutions in Atlanta, including membership in the High Museum of Art. As a true citizen of the world, Theresa traveled extensively, including trips to Mexico, Spain, Dubai, in addition to visits across the continental United States, including Alaska, as well as several Caribbean destinations. Theresa is survived by her sons, Michael E. Johnson and Zachary M. Johnson, her former spouse, Edgar Johnson, her beloved sister Anita Cautia Martin, her loving brother, Dr. Frank C. Martin, II, and sister-in-law, Shirley Fields-Martin in addition to a host of beloved cousins, intimate friends, and former colleagues. Theresa was preceded in death by her late father, Frank C. Martin, Sr., and her loving mother, Leola G. Martin, both of Sumter, South Carolina, as well as an extended family of beloved grand-parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The family requests that memorial donations please be made in lieu of flowers in support of the Art Department of Hampton University through the Hampton Arts Foundation Fund or to Hampton University Museum, the oldest Museum on the campus of an historically black college or university in America, in her name at https://givetohamptonu.org/ways-to-give/

Ms. Theresa Yvonne Martin-Johnson

December 12, 1949 - January 9, 2025