October 28, 1953 - March 24, 2025
J.C. Battle & Sons Funeral Home (543 Rockdale Ave, Cincinnati OH 45229)
Wednesday 10/28/1953 Monday 03/24/2025 Greenhills
Visitation
Saturday 04/05/2025 11:00am to 12:00pm
Kemper Road Christian Church
11609 Hanover Ave
Cincinnatii, Oh 45240
Service
Saturday 04/05/2025 12:00pm to 1:00am
Kemper Road Christian Church
11609 Hanover Ave
Cincinnatii, Oh 45240
Burial
Saturday 04/05/2025 1:00pm to 1:30pm
Oak Hill Cemetery
11200 Princeton Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45246
Obituary
Our beloved Billi Jean Johnson, 71, of Woodlawn, Ohio, passed peacefully into the arms of the Lord on Monday, March 24, 2025. Billi was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 28, 1953 to Helen Louise and William Raymond Johnson, who predeceased her. She never stopped loving and missing them. The day of our loss was a happy reunion in Heaven.
Billi Jean was baptized as a young girl at Maple Street Christian Church. As a lifelong learner, Billi attended Saint Simon Elementary School, graduated from Princeton High School with distinction, and was admitted to Oberlin College, graduating with a major in English and Poetry. She continued her studies at Miami University, where she earned a MA in English before undertaking doctoral studies at Indiana University in Africana Studies and Linguistics.
Billi began her teaching career at Xavier University, followed by a time at UC Community College. She also taught at two prisons with the Wilmington College Prison Program. However, for the majority of her career Billi served on the faculty at the University of Cincinnati, retiring at the rank of Full Professor. Billi's teaching and scholarship were impactful in both the Africana Studies and English departments, where she made the power and beauty of the English language and Black literature accessible and engaging for generations of students. Her students and colleagues benefited not only from her classroom teaching, but also from her pedagogical mentorship and the nurturance of their intellectual abilities. We will never know how many scholars were birthed in her classroom!
Billi Jean, a woman of few vices and many pleasures, knew how to enjoy the little things. She loved ice cream, chocolate, and anything with a dragonfly on it. An intellect but not a snob, she loved to read cartoons, English mysteries, poetry and critical theory. She LOVED to shop, and the advent of online shopping from the comfort of her bedroom was the fulfillment of a dream. Her classic sense of style was expressed through a legendary collection of bags, shoes and silver and turquoise jewelry. Billi was curious, sometimes sarcastic, and her giggle was absolutely infectious because it sounded like a kid who got caught being bad and just didn’t care! She had a wicked sense of humor and a deep love of Scripture. She frequently delivered the message at her home church, Unity Christian Church, where her thought provoking sermons revealed the spiritual depths behind the sunny facade. She also created Black History programs at her church. A Little Free Library (free books) was established there in her honor. Like many of us, Billi struggled with life’s challenges, yet she worked hard to show up and be kind and helpful to others. May we all follow her example.
Billi is survived by her sister, Jeanette Bronson (Charles), her nieces Mona Bronson-Fuqua (Joseph), Lisa Marie Bronson and Mya Bronson, her nephew William Bronson (Rebecca), a host of grandnieces and nephews who lovingly referred to her as "Great-Billi", many cousins especially Verna Tuttle (William), Margeret Crawford (Richard), Michael Ann Johnson, Kelli R. Johnson and Michael Anthony Johnson, lifelong friends Cheryl A. Redford Hamilton, Paris Hamilton and Denia Jean Redford, special friends the Cuties, and many other extended family members, friends and colleagues who remember her with love.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at Kemper Road Christian Church, 11609 Hanover Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240. Visitation will be held at the church from 11am-12pm. The funeral service will commence at noon, followed by interment at 1:30pm at Oak Hill Cemetery, 11200 Princeton Pike, Cincinnati Ohio 45246 and a repast nearby at The Candler Event Hall, 11 Village Square (Glendale), Cincinnati Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Oberlin College (https://advance.oberlin.edu/
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.