Mrs. Sonya Anne Johnson

My Family: Sonya Anne Lewis was born on May 28, 1956 in Columbia, South Carolina to a set of parents, Sam Lewis, Jr. and Margaret G. Lewis, nee Coleman, who were very loving and proud of their firstborn. Sonya lost her mother in 1980 and her father in 1982. Both often served as Sonya's earthly pillar of strength and wisdom. Sonya was later to become the big sister to four siblings whom she loved and sometimes was able to boss, as she took on a sense of responsibility for each one: Steven Ricardo Lewis, Robbi Renee' Sanderson (deceased), Wanda Faye (Eddie) Heard, and Abby Arnette Lewis. Sonya's earliest memory goes all the way back to attending school in Munich, Germany where she first began her love for the educational process. She remembers when she and her family left Germany, going to Newark, New Jersey, moving to Hickory, Mississippi, to Muskegon Hts., Michigan and finally on to Detroit, Michigan. Sonya enjoyed life and believed that she was a blessed child of God. Her religious journey began at home and later moved on to Aijalon Missionary Baptist Church (MBC) where she was baptized and later she moved on to Snider Chapel MBC where she began her adult walk with Him and finally on to Greater Future MBC where she continued to grow in her faith through a closer walk with Jesus. Sonya was a student of the Detroit Public School system. She graduated from Cooley High School in 1974 and from the University of Detroit in 1978 as a Alpha Kappa Alpha Pearl with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Studies that eventually led her to her employment with the Wayne County Probate Court- Juvenile Division. After 25 years on this job that she often found rewarding and other times quite trying, Sonya would often say that she didn't know what she wanted to become when she grows up. Through her employment and educational life, Sonya met many very special and cherished people who influenced her life in unforgettable ways. Through a college friendship that continued to grow and flourish, Sonya met and later married the man who became the love of her life, Tyrone Johnson. Together she and Tyrone became the parents of two of God's greatest gifts to her: Kevin Tyrone and Lauren Reneé. Sonya and Tyrone were married for 32 years. Sonya has loved familial relationships and it has been reciprocated. She always wanted a bigger family and through her marriage that goal was accomplished, as she now has 10 brothers-in-law and 10 sisters-n-law. And a whole heap of nephews, nieces, great-nephews, great-nieces, and two great-great-nieces who will all be greatly missed along with her mother in law, aunts, cousins, co-workers and friends.

Mrs. Sonya Anne Johnson

May 28, 1956 - July 3, 2015