Tiffany Johnson

On Friday October 8th, 2021, Tiffany “Teejay” Johnson was called home to rest. She was born on January 27th, 1992 to Mildred Coleman and Michael Johnson Sr. in Richmond, Virginia.
She joined Brown Grove Baptist Church at an early age, was an active member of the church in her youth, and even wrote the church play in high school. She was a graduate of Patrick Henry High School and attended John Tyler Community College and recently enrolled at the University of Phoenix.
Teejay was an extremely talented speaker and orator – having competed and won several competitions in Forensics and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). In 2009, Teejay placed 2nd in Public Speaking II for the FBLA Hanover County Region. Also in the Hanover region, Teejay received 1st place in Serious Poetry; 1st in Emerging Business Issues; 1st in Public Speaking; and 1st place in Serious Dramatic Interpretation. Her gift for speaking took her all the way to Anaheim, California in 2009 where she placed 7th in the National FBLA Public Speaking competition.

Music was Teejay’s 1st passion, and her favorite artist was the late great Whitney Houston. She also was an incredibly gifted artist and started rapping as early as elementary school. In October 2014, she released her debut EP, My Perception which featured songs such as “Superman” and “Come Back to Me” which was dedicated to her late brother Dawyan. Following My Perception, Teejay released her sophomore EP – Love Lines – which was released in 2016 and received airtime in over 3 different countries. Her music took her all over the country, having toured in cities throughout the southeast – all the way from Richmond to Atlanta, GA.

Anyone that knew Teejay knew she was a fighter through and through. She started working when she was 14 and worked until she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in 2018. Before and after her diagnosis, Teejay remained a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights and supporter of Black Lives Matter. And despite dealing with GBS for 3 years, Teejay always kept a kind heart, greeted you with a beautiful smile, and could fill the whole room with laughter like no one else. Throughout her journey, she also became a strong GBS advocate; spreading awareness of the disease and its official symbol – the sea turtle.

However, she was determined not be defined by her illness. She was incredibly adventurous and always loved to travel – especially road trips across the country. Her favorite movies were Crooklyn, Set-it-Off, and The Bodyguard. Teejay loved to put on fresh ‘fit and had a fitted cap for every occasion. She also always had big dreams – she hoped to one day start her own business designing pillows for handicapped individuals and to be a school counselor for children with disabilities.

Teejay is survived by her loving Wife (Tanisha) and 2 wonderful kids (Keyara & Andre); her Mother (Mildred), Father (Michael Sr.), Brother (Michael Jr.), Sister (Ashley); her Godmother (Corine), Grandmother (Betty), 3 Aunts (Deborah, Dale, & Jackie), 3 uncles (Kenneth, Ollie, & Mo); her Best Friend (Kelsie), her adopted grandparents (The Tylers), and a host of in-laws. Teejay is pre-deceased by her brother Dawyan and her grandparents.