Gloria (Jackie) Swanson Johnson

Danville, Va.- Gloria Swanson Johnson, 86, of Raleigh, North Carolina, passed away following a brief illness on Saturday, July 4, 2020, with her family by her side.

She was born on June 29, 1934 and was the fifth of six children born to the late Reverend Claude Swanson and Lottie Easley Swanson. She spent the early years of her life in Axton, Virginia, later migrated to Washington, D.C. and graduated from Cardozo High School in 1952 and attended Cortez Peters Business School. She married Willie A. Bullock in 1955 and to this union bore two children.  She remarried in 1966 to Rev, Robert E. Johnson, Sr. and from that union she had two additional children and gained two children by marriage. She worked for a period of time at Freedman’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. She later worked for the late honorable Judge H. Carl Moultrie II.  While in Connecticut, she worked for CRT, a community outreach program, and prior to moving, worked at Mark Twain Elementary, managing the school office administration. After moving back to Danville VA in 1983, she was employed by Wheeler Airlines while pursuing a degree in Cosmetology which she received in 1985. She continued to work for US Airlines and as a licensed beautician until her retirement in 1995.  Gloria also was involved in many grassroots efforts for civil rights beginning in the sixties and after retirement, she was an active member in the community, which included working in the Danville office for the Obama campaigns of 2008 and 2012.

Gloria accepted God at a very early age and attended Christ Temple Church of Axton VA. After moving to Washington D.C., she became an active member of the Mount Olivet Lutheran Church and after moving to Hartford, Connecticut, she became a member of Union Baptist where her husband, Bob, served as Associate Minister. She joined Loyal Baptist Church upon her return to Danville in 1983. Gloria loved supporting the children and young adults of her church.  She was the first Girl Scout troop leader at Union Baptist Church, lead the drama program and assisted in other outreach programs.  She supported the BTU at Loyal Baptist and led the summer feeding program for several years.

Gloria was a warm, feisty, and funny conversationalist who always loved to be around people of all backgrounds and experiences. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and great -grandmother and became mother and grandmother to many others.

Her husband, Reverend Robert E. Johnson, Jr., her brothers, Calvin Swanson, Rev. Joseph W. Swanson Sr., and Reverend Claude R. Swanson, Sr., preceded her in death. She is survived by her sisters, Mae Lee and her husband Wendell, and Deloise Coleman; her children, Byron S. Bullock and his wife Antoinette, Eric S. Bullock and his wife Brenda, Peter G. Johnson and his wife Ann, and Joy D. Smith and her husband Lamar,  Cheryl Lane and Robert E. Johnson, Jr.  Also left to cherish her memories are her grandchildren, Melanie N. Harris and her husband Gerald, Aaron C. Bullock and his wife Christina, Whitley Johnson, Kyle Lane, Sydney Lane, Whitney Lane, Lamar Smith Jr., Elizabeth Tyler, Hannah Tyler, great-grandchildren, Josiah Smith, Taylin Smith and a host of other nieces, nephews and other relatives.

*Due to the constraints of public gatherings during the COVID-19 outbreak a viewing will be held on Friday, July 10, 2020 from 2:00 pm  to 8:00 pm in the Juanita S. Fulton Memorial Chapel of Fulton-Walton Funeral Home with a limit of 10 people at a time. Please remember to follow CDC guidelines with everyone wearing protective gloves and masks.

Funeral Service will be Saturday, July 11, 2020,  1:00 pm with family arriving at 11:00 am in the Juanita S. Fulton Memorial Chapel of Fulton-Walton Funeral Home. Interment will follow in the Highland Burial Park in Danville, Va.

Attendance at the funeral will be limited to fifty (50) individuals and attendees will be pre-determined by the family.

***The funeral service will be live streamed via Facebook. In order to establish a connection to view please visit facebook and click on "Fulton-Walton Funeral Home" or you can click the direct link which is:

https://www.facebook.com/Fulton-Walton-Funeral-Home-107391497713061/  

On the page you should see a live feed. Please click on the feed to view and listen***

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