Sue H. Johnson

Sue Johnson Obituary “In lieu of flowers, family requests donations to Hospice of the Western Reserve Foundation, PO Box 72700, Cleveland, OH 44192 Sue Holland Johnson, the oldest daughter of the late Walter B. and Sue A. Holland was born on her father’s 22nd birthday, June 27, 1942. Her younger sister, Pam, arrived six years later, completing the family circle. Sue was educated in the Cleveland Public School system and graduated from John Adams High School in 1960. She joined Delta Sigma Theta Sorority., Inc. in 1963 while attending Western Reserve University. It was in her senior year of college that Sue gave birth to her only daughter (and future Soror), Heidi Lynne. Sue’s first real job was at St. Luke’s Hospital in the dietary department, passing trays. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Western Reserve University in 1964. In the fall of that year, Sue returned to her alma mater, John Adams, where she taught English and Reading from 1964 to 1978. She earned her Master of Education degree from Cleveland State University in 1975. After leaving the high school classroom, Sue worked as a Project Manager for the Cleveland Board of Education, helping to advance their desegregation efforts. She later returned to work in healthcare, this time as an Employee Development Coordinator in the dietary department of University Hospitals (UH). Sue’s entrepreneurial spirit eventually led her to leave UH and establish her own professional consulting service, Sue Johnson and Associates, Inc. which specialized in management consulting for small business owners, career counseling for individuals and conducting workshops on career related topics. She also went into partnership with a friend to start the Uranian Agency. It was in November 1984, while Sue was serving as the president of the Women’s Business Owners Association, that Mayor George Voinovich recommended her for the role of Administrator of the Female Business Enterprise Program for the City of Cleveland. Cleveland’s FBE Program was the first of its kind in the state of Ohio at the time. In the early 1990s, Sue and her daughter, Heidi, began taking modeling classes which re-ignited Sue’s love for the performing arts. Having originally been a theater arts major, Sue was able to translate the skills she gained through her classroom and other work experiences and combine them with her love for all things theatrical, resulting in the creation of the Wake Up and Live’s Actors’ Studio. It was in her role as the Director of Wake Up and Live that Sue blossomed as an actor, director, producer, and talent coach. She performed in local theatres including Karamu House, Cleveland Play House, East Cleveland Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Cleveland Public Theatre and the Beck Center. She also did TV commercials and radio voiceovers and had the opportunity to appear as an extra in “The Antwon Fisher Story.” She even did a one-time appearance in a non-speaking role on a national TV show, “100 Center Street” on the A & E Network. One of her proudest achievements as an actor was earning the Karamu Actors Guild Outstanding Performance Award for the 1999-2000 season as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ms. Idella in “Purlie” at the Beck Center. However, as much as she loved acting, Sue truly loved encouraging others to soar as they developed their “chops” for the theater and pursued other personal and professional endeavors. Many of Sue’s theatrical efforts were done to alert audiences to the existence of a wide array of human needs that require addressing. Her final project, still a work in progress, was done in partnership with a close friend and local psychologist and used drama as a means of focusing attention on the critical importance of obtaining mental health services, especially for young black men who are often in denial of the need for such help. The list of actors, singers, and others Sue mentored and coached is too extensive to list but suffice it to say, she made a lasting impact on the lives of many, many, people in the arts arena and beyond. As she would put it, Sue “left the planet” early on December 31, 2024, leaving behind to treasure her memory her most ardent fans and supporters: daughter, Rev. Heidi L. Blount Barham and her “favorite Sern-in-Law” Ronald; sister, Pamela H. Watts; niece, Michelle Watts Pennington (Kaseem); grand-nieces, Lauryn Smedley and Paulette Pennington; grand-nephews, Christopher Watts and Holland Roundtree; bonus grandchildren, Ebonee and Hamilton Barham; eight great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, along with a host of loving relatives and cherished friends. Read More

Sue H. Johnson

January 1, 1753