Dr. Joseph Morgan Johnson

Obituary of Joseph Morgan Johnson, 1928 – 2024

Alexandria, VA — Dr. Joseph Morgan Johnson, 95, of Alexandria, Virginia, passed away peacefully on November 10, 2024.  

A beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and teacher, Morgan will always be remembered for his love, kindness, dedication to service, and sense of humor. All these combined made him that special person you never forget – especially the twinkle in his eyes when he was smiling and being witty. Born on December 19, 1928, in Dallas, Texas to Emmett Sidney Johnson and Mary Vaughan Johnson, Morgan grew up with a keen interest in pursuing a career in the fine arts, education, and religion. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia in 1948, a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 1951 where he was ordained into the United Methodist Church. By the age of 22, he also obtained a Masters in Art Education (M.Ed) degree from New York University in 1952.

After graduation, Morgan chose to combine his art education and theological studies and joined 50 other young recruits of the Methodist Board of Global Ministries for a three-year assignment to the United Methodist Church of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). Upon his return to the United States, he married Rosalie Voigt, a medical student at Emory University’s School of Medicine, in 1957. While Rosalie worked to finish her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Morgan pursued a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree from the University of Georgia and taught at Druid Hills High School in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon completion of both their degree and residency programs in 1961, Morgan returned with Rosalie and their one-year-old daughter, Linda, to teach at Mutambara, Hartzell, and Nyadiri Teachers' College mission centers, with Rosalie oftentimes serving as the only medical doctor on the missions.

While in Rhodesia, Morgan and Rosalie had four more children, Mary, Michael, Tendai, and Chido. To take care of their growing family, they hired local help whom the children would fondly refer to as “Mainini” or Aunt. At their encouragement, their children grew up speaking Shona as their first language.  Besides his family and teaching responsibilities, Morgan also served as a cartoonist and illustrator for Umbowo, a newspaper published by the Rhodesian Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  In 1974, he was charged with sedition by the ruling white minority government regarding a cartoon he drew exposing the existence of a resettlement camp in the country. The camps were designed to prevent rural inhabitants from feeding and assisting armed resistance groups seeking independence from Rhodesia’s version of apartheid. The following year, his family was forced to leave Rhodesia and return to the United States. Morgan’s resilience, combined with his principles, convictions and his commitment to justice and self-determination of Zimbabweans led him to contribute in some small measure to the country’s liberation struggle from the Smith regime through his political cartoons. One year later, Morgan and his family returned to Africa after he was assigned a post in Zambia at the Teacher Training College in Livingstone and later at the Africa Literature Center, Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Kitwe, Zambia.

While at the Africa Literature Center, Morgan joined an African literature network that took him to Uganda, Kenya, and Sierra Leone, and expanded his research on the story of Joseph in Africa. Their time in independent Zambia prepared Morgan and Rosalie for a return to Zimbabwe after the country’s independence in 1980. They were welcomed back to Zimbabwe in 1981 to serve another decade of medical and educational work at Old Mutare United Methodist Mission before retiring in 1991. Upon returning to the United States in Atlanta, GA, Morgan would support Rosalie’s work as a doctor at Grady Memorial’s AIDS clinic until she retired in 2001. After Rosalie’s retirement, they moved to the Washington, DC area to be close to family. While in Washington, DC, Morgan found more time to return to his love and passion for research, illustrations, and writing focused on the biblical story entitled, “Joseph in Africa: The Story of a Story.” He sought help from others he referred to as his language ‘guides’ to help translate numerous documents in Amharic (Ethiopian) and Swahili (East African) in his research and writing. Given his continued interest in world religions, he joined a Jewish Torah group and continued learning Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, Tswana, Ge’ez, and Amharic in order to better understand the cultural meanings of the stories of Joseph, and in his telling, show how more connected we are across cultures than we believe we are.

Joseph Morgan Johnson is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren: Linda Johnson, her children Maya Baumgartner and Morgan Baum, and his wife Jenny Baum and their child Theo Baum; Mary Johnson’s children Khalila Douze and Dyani Douze, their father Claude Douze,  Khalila’s child Adreyan Skyy and his father Alexander Smith; Michael Johnson, his wife Selina Phiri Johnson, and their child Tionge Phiri Johnson; Tendai Johnson, his wife Hoa Tran, and their child Fadzi Tran Johnson; and Chido Johnson.

Morgan was preceded in passing by his wife, partner in life, and best friend, Rosalie, their child Mary, and Linda’s husband and father to Morgan and Maya, Paul Baumgartner.

A memorial service will be held at the Fairlington United Methodist Church, 3900 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302, on Saturday, December 21 at 10:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Babyfold at Old Mutare or the Africa University Scholarships through the Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church

    Babyfold at Old Mutare Fairfield Children's Home - Global Ministries

    Africa University Scholarships - Global Ministries