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Edith Worley Johnson, retired reading paraprofessional and church leader, has died at 97

She worked in the reading lab for the Chapter One Reading Program at John P. Turner Middle School in West Philadelphia for 12 years.

Mrs. Johnson "loved adventure," her family said. She flew in a World War II airplane when she was 92.
Mrs. Johnson "loved adventure," her family said. She flew in a World War II airplane when she was 92.Read moreCourtesy of the family

Edith Worley Johnson, 97, formerly of Philadelphia, retired reading paraprofessional and classroom aide for the School District of Philadelphia, church leader, volunteer, and mentor, died Monday, Dec. 2, of age-associated decline at her home in Alexandria, Va.

For 12 years, from 1981 to 1993, Mrs. Johnson worked as a paraprofessional in the reading lab for the Chapter One Reading Program at John P. Turner Middle School in West Philadelphia. Before that, she was a classroom aide for five years at Alexander Wilson Elementary School.

The oldest of six children in her own family, Mrs. Johnson was a natural at nurturing and inspiring others, her family said. She was so effective as an aide with young students that the school district helped pay for continuing education and professional development classes at what was then Peirce Junior College and Community College of Philadelphia.

She went on to support sixth and seventh graders at the reading lab at Turner, and often befriended young people in need in the neighborhood. “She was a generally kind and thoughtful person,” said her daughter Tia. “She was always doing something for a young person.”

On her 90th birthday in 2017, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, former Gov. Tom Wolf, former Mayor Jim Kenney, and the Philadelphia City Council recognized her contributions with congratulatory letters and an official citation.

Earlier, she worked in the billing department at the Sears, Roebuck & Co. for 15 years. “She was a dedicated employee who took pride in doing her job well,” her family said in a tribute.

At church, Mrs. Johnson was superintendent of Sunday School at St. Augustine Episcopal Church, now Calvary St. Augustine. Her parents inspired her religious fervor, and she taught youth Sunday School and served 10 years on the vestry.

In the neighborhood, she was a Girl Scout leader, community representative for the Philadelphia Commission on Aging, and an activist for worker’s rights. She and her husband, Russell, also served in leadership roles at the Christian Street YMCA for decades.

“Service was in the DNA of both of them,” her daughter said. Her family said in a tribute: “She was always passionate about equality and equal opportunity.”

Edith Martha Worley was born June 6, 1927, in Philadelphia. She had three sisters and two brothers, and graduated from what was then William Penn High School for Girls in 1944.

Her family has a long history of community service, and her mother, also named Edith, served as her role model. “She was always there for us and would go out of her way to work things out,” Mrs. Johnson told the Daily News when her mother died in 1998. “We never wore hand-me-downs. She always personalized [clothes] with new buttons, a new collar or something. We just always felt proud and never thought of ourselves as being poor.”

She met Russell Johnson at a concert at what is now the Dell Music Center, and they married in 1948, and had daughters Veeda, Bayinnah, Roxanne, and Tia. Later, she adopted her daughter, Freda. Her husband and daughters Veeda and Freda died earlier.

Mrs. Johnson enjoyed trips to church, museums, concerts, and plays with her daughters. She liked to knit and crochet.

She traveled to Europe, the Middle East, Scandinavia, and elsewhere around the world. She visited Africa in her 70s and flew in a World War II airplane when she was 92. “Edith loved adventure,” her family said.

She preached self-sufficiency and quoted the Bible by saying, “Faith without work is empty.” She moved to Virginia in 2017.

“She was loving and giving,” said her daughter Tia. “She always told us the sky is the limit. We all said she was ‘sowing into us.’”

In addition to her daughters, Mrs. Johnson is survived by 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, and other relatives. Her sisters and brothers died earlier.

Services were held on Dec. 13.

Donations in her name may be made to Calvary St. Augustine Episcopal Church, 814 N. 41st St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.