Mrs. Sonja Denhart “Sonny” Johnson, 83, of Southside Chesconnessex, was welcomed into the open arms of her Lord and Savior on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Born Nov. 29, 1942, Sonny was the youngest of three children born to the late Vernon Hundley Belote and Gretchen Denhart Shrieves Lewis.
Sonny was the sweetest of souls — the kind of person who radiated sunshine and happiness. She married her soulmate, Phillip Morris Johnson, on Jan. 6, 1958, and built a beautiful life for more than 61 years. Sonny’s love for her family and those she thought of as family knew no bounds. There was nothing she couldn’t make right with a warm hug, immediately followed by a home cooked meal. Some may even say her roast beef had special healing powers.
For nearly three decades, Sonny shared her light and love with countless residents at the former Hermitage on the Eastern Shore, where she was more than a housekeeper — to many she was a friend and a confidant.
A devoted member of Riverview United Methodist Church, Sonny was a true Christian woman who led by example throughout her life.
“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.” — Proverbs 31:30-31
She leaves to cherish her memory her daughters, Valerie Crockett and her husband, Mark, of Melfa, and Nicole Powell Kennedy and her husband, Michael, of Accomac; her grandchildren, Amber Crockett, J.P. Powell, and Andrew Kennedy; and several nieces and nephews, all of whom she very much adored.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was predeceased by her brother and sister, Aubrey Wayne Belote and Alice Katherine “Kay” Jones.
A service in celebration of Sonny’s life will be conducted from the chapel of the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home on Saturday, May 23, at 12:30 p.m., with the Rev. Roland Major officiating. The family will gather for private interment at the Edgehill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Sonny’s memory may be made to a local animal shelter of one’s choosing or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, www.stjude.org/donate
Memory tributes may be shared at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements are by the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home.
