Obituary for Audrey Bernice Nesbit (Johnson)
On March 24, 2022, Audrey Bernice Johnson Nesbit entered into eternal life.
Audrey J. Nesbit was born May 14, 1930, in Cherryville, NC to the late Willie Johnson and Geneva Wilson Johnson. She grew up in Kannapolis, NC with 8 siblings. At an early age she joined Bethel AME Zion Church in Kannapolis, NC where she loved to sing in the church choir. Audrey had a beautiful singing voice and at the request of her mother sang “Precious Lord" in the church choir.
Audrey graduated from George Washington Carver High School in Kannapolis, NC. While attending Carver High she joined the girls’ basketball team where she found her love for basketball. She became the star basketball player and was later chosen to play on the 1950 undefeated Charlotte, NC All-Star Team. After completing High School, she attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.
On July 20, 1952, Audrey married the late Willie R. Nesbit and from this union two children were born, Joan and Ricardo Nesbit and James Douglas. After marriage they moved to New York City temporarily and later made Washington, D.C. home.
Audrey began her career with the District of Columbia Department of Recreation where she worked with the youth at various playgrounds around the city. Her hard work and dedication landed her a position of Assistant Director, which provided her with the opportunity to build and oversee several youth programs. In 1967 she started and coached the first DC recreation girls track team and Joan was one of her runners. Joan and her teammates competed in the first DC Junior Olympics running in the 440 relay and came in first place under Audrey’s headship. At one of the meets, her daughter’s favorite track star and Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph was the Master of Ceremony, Audrey, was able to get a photo taken with Mrs. Rudolph alongside her daughter. In addition to her dedication to the youth, she enjoyed bowling. Audrey joined a bowling travel league and won several trophies.
After 35 years of service with the DC Department of Recreation she retired, and enjoyed the retired life in Silver Spring, MD. She loved traveling, shopping and spending time with her grands. Audrey could not keep still and her love for the youth called again. In the mid 90’s she reentered the workforce to work with special needs children in the Montgomery County Public School System and later retired after 5 years.
Audrey was outgoing and outspoken; she loved to dance and would often reminisce about the good ole days when she and her brothers and sisters would go out to the dances doing the jitterbug or hand dancing. She welcomed her children’s friends and granddaughters’ friends into her home and life, and they all called her mom and grandma.
Audrey loved her granddaughter Jamelah who was the “apple of her eye.” She also loved her great grands Jamel and Kaiya who affectionately called her “Ganny", and in 2021, she became a great-great grandmother to Elijah Jamel (EJ).
Audrey is preceded in death by her four brothers James, Willie, Jacque and Herman Johnson, three sisters Geneva Ledbetter, Betty Wood and Ella Jones. She leaves behind 1 sister Grace Joan Bryant (Kannapolis, NC), and 2 sisters-in-laws Mildred Ledbetter Johnson (Charlotte, NC) and Martha Foster Johnson (Kannapolis, NC) her devoted daughter Joan and son in-law Joseph “Jabbo” Jackson), sons Ricardo Nesbit (Sakina), and James Douglas, granddaughter Jamelah, ggreat-grandchildren amel, Kaiya and Miona Walker, great-great grandson Elijah Jamel, Goddaughter Donna Foster, 2 very special caregivers Iris Carter and Deitra Helm. Very special family friends Kenneth Walker and Frederick Person and a host of nieces, nephews’ relatives and friends.
Audrey J. Nesbit was born May 14, 1930, in Cherryville, NC to the late Willie Johnson and Geneva Wilson Johnson. She grew up in Kannapolis, NC with 8 siblings. At an early age she joined Bethel AME Zion Church in Kannapolis, NC where she loved to sing in the church choir. Audrey had a beautiful singing voice and at the request of her mother sang “Precious Lord" in the church choir.
Audrey graduated from George Washington Carver High School in Kannapolis, NC. While attending Carver High she joined the girls’ basketball team where she found her love for basketball. She became the star basketball player and was later chosen to play on the 1950 undefeated Charlotte, NC All-Star Team. After completing High School, she attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.
On July 20, 1952, Audrey married the late Willie R. Nesbit and from this union two children were born, Joan and Ricardo Nesbit and James Douglas. After marriage they moved to New York City temporarily and later made Washington, D.C. home.
Audrey began her career with the District of Columbia Department of Recreation where she worked with the youth at various playgrounds around the city. Her hard work and dedication landed her a position of Assistant Director, which provided her with the opportunity to build and oversee several youth programs. In 1967 she started and coached the first DC recreation girls track team and Joan was one of her runners. Joan and her teammates competed in the first DC Junior Olympics running in the 440 relay and came in first place under Audrey’s headship. At one of the meets, her daughter’s favorite track star and Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph was the Master of Ceremony, Audrey, was able to get a photo taken with Mrs. Rudolph alongside her daughter. In addition to her dedication to the youth, she enjoyed bowling. Audrey joined a bowling travel league and won several trophies.
After 35 years of service with the DC Department of Recreation she retired, and enjoyed the retired life in Silver Spring, MD. She loved traveling, shopping and spending time with her grands. Audrey could not keep still and her love for the youth called again. In the mid 90’s she reentered the workforce to work with special needs children in the Montgomery County Public School System and later retired after 5 years.
Audrey was outgoing and outspoken; she loved to dance and would often reminisce about the good ole days when she and her brothers and sisters would go out to the dances doing the jitterbug or hand dancing. She welcomed her children’s friends and granddaughters’ friends into her home and life, and they all called her mom and grandma.
Audrey loved her granddaughter Jamelah who was the “apple of her eye.” She also loved her great grands Jamel and Kaiya who affectionately called her “Ganny", and in 2021, she became a great-great grandmother to Elijah Jamel (EJ).
Audrey is preceded in death by her four brothers James, Willie, Jacque and Herman Johnson, three sisters Geneva Ledbetter, Betty Wood and Ella Jones. She leaves behind 1 sister Grace Joan Bryant (Kannapolis, NC), and 2 sisters-in-laws Mildred Ledbetter Johnson (Charlotte, NC) and Martha Foster Johnson (Kannapolis, NC) her devoted daughter Joan and son in-law Joseph “Jabbo” Jackson), sons Ricardo Nesbit (Sakina), and James Douglas, granddaughter Jamelah, ggreat-grandchildren amel, Kaiya and Miona Walker, great-great grandson Elijah Jamel, Goddaughter Donna Foster, 2 very special caregivers Iris Carter and Deitra Helm. Very special family friends Kenneth Walker and Frederick Person and a host of nieces, nephews’ relatives and friends.