Constance

Johnson

Constance Jean Johnson Obituary

Constance, fondly known as Connie, was born on June 2, 1941, in Binghamton, N.Y.  to the late John Madison and Genevieve Dorsey Scanks.  She spent her formative years in Binghamton where she was very active in her community.  From elementary school through high school, Connie was an active member of the Girl Scouts.  In addition, she enjoyed participating in church activities and sporting events of all kind. She was an excellent baton twirler, and she won several competitions throughout her youth. A great deal of her time was spent at the Interracial Association Youth Center, playing basketball and other sports with her brother and friends.

Connie graduated from North Senior High School, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilberforce University, and earned a Master of Social Work degree from Columbia University.  While at Wilberforce, she was active in numerous campus organizations.  She was a Kappa sweetheart, and a member of the Big Chums and Big Brothers, The High Stepping Wilberetts, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  One of her proudest moments was being crowned "Miss Wilberforce" in her junior year. After college, she moved to New York City where she met and married David Johnson.  Connie and David lived in New Jersey, where they raised their two daughters.

Connie worked in a number of service-oriented mentoring positions throughout her life.  Early in her career, she worked as a caseworker for the Bureau of Child Welfare in New York City. She later worked as a social worker on the child study team for the Englewood School System, a position she held for thirty-three years, retiring in 2006. During many of those years, she tapped into her earlier loves by working as a Girl Scout leader and a baton twirling coach at Dwight Morrow High School.

Connie was vibrant and full of life, and she enjoyed many activities which included playing tennis, listening to Motown songs, reading, traveling, painting, going to plays, trying new restaurants, and watching her favorite soap opera, The Young and the Restless .  She was a caring, kind-hearted person who loved to talk and laugh with friends and family.  She was a wonderful wife, and a nurturing mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.

Connie leaves behind many loved ones who will miss her and cherish her memory.  She is survived by her daughters, Candace Denise Green (Derrick) and Pamela Dawn Johnson; granddaughter, Taylor Grace Green; brother, John Vincent Scanks (Eileen); as well as a host of in-laws, nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 49 years, David Johnson