Johnsie Russell Markham

Johnsie Russell Markham September 10, 1938 – February 9, 2019 Johnsie Russell Markham, 80, of Wilson passed away peacefully Saturday at her home.  The family will receive friends Saturday afternoon from 3 – 5 p.m. at Joyner’s Funeral Home, 4100 Raleigh Road Parkway, Wilson.  A private inurnment will be held at a later date. Johnsie was born in Albemarle on September 10, 1938, to Travis and Jeanie Harrington Russell and was educated at Mars Hill College, Wake Forest University and Barton College. Her life was defined by generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness and gentle heartedness.  This is not to say that she was not strong in her convictions and clear in her views.  She was the love of our lives. Throughout her adult life, she and her husband travelled to more than forty countries.  They were dedicated fans of the Demon Deacons and Red Sox.  Every evening they played a Markham version of Scrabble and at bedtime sang to each other a duet of “Let Me Call you Sweetheart.” In Wilson she was the Director of the Wilson Crisis Center and was a volunteer at Wilson Medical Center, Home Meal Delivery, Relay for Life, Winstead Elementary School, Girl Scouts, PTA and at all the churches she attended. Johnsie is survived by her loving husband of fifty-nine years, Dr. Coleman Cain Markham; daughter, Susan Lynn Markham Gregory and husband, Bo of Forsyth, Georgia; son, Russell Coleman Markham of Wilson and her grandsons, Markham Hughes Gregory and Russell Banks Gregory of Forsyth, Georgia. She was preceded in death by her parents, Travis and Jeanie Russell. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Markham Endowment for International Travel, Barton College, PO Box 5000, Wilson, North Carolina 27893; C.H.E.W., PO Box 728, Wilson, North Carolina 27894; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee. Condolences may be directed to Joyner’s Funeral Home at www.joyners.net.