he life of a man who served Richmond’s Black community in times of death will be memorialized Friday, as the city of Richmond will honor mortician William Isaac Johnson Sr. with a street renaming in the 100 block of W. Leigh Street.

Johnson, born in 1852 to enslaved parents in Charlotte County, worked as a mortician for over 20 years in Richmond. The W.I. Johnson Funeral Home was one of several that operated in the city at the turn of the century, providing much-needed services, particularly in Jackson Ward.

For Johnson’s descendants, the opportunity to see him honored for his contributions to the city is one that carries special importance.

“I’m the one who spearheaded it — it’s coming deep from inside me,” said Pierre Johnson, who works with Manning Funeral Home and is Johnson’s great-great-grandson. 

Pierre Johnson was inspired to advocate for Johnson’s honoring in part due to the legacy of the funeral home, which Johnson’s descendants maintained until its closing in 1971. Despite the funeral home’s closure, its owner’s vision and legacy stayed with Pierre Johnson for years.

“[W.I. Johnson] deserves some of the same recognition as some of the others,” Pierre said. “I always kept that in my heart.” 

W.I. Johnson’s funeral service business was developed over the years through partnerships and collaborations with funeral director A.D. Price. While the two would eventually become business rivals, they maintained a personal connection until Johnson’s death in November 1919.

Johnson also was a civic leader in Richmond, with memberships in the National Negro Business Men’s League and serving as director of the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank of Richmond. He also was a teacher and letter carrier and was among several African American leaders in Richmond who met President William H. Taft at the Virginia State Capitol in 1909.

While the honor is cause for celebration for Johnson’s family, Pierre Johnson acknowledged the journey to this point was long. The process took about two years, according to Pierre Johnson, who publicly advocated for the honor, submitted applications and gathered information to highlight his great-great-grandfather’s significance and relevance to the city.

W.I. Johnson’s honor comes as city leadership begins reconsidering the process behind the scenes, following an increase in street naming in recent years that peaked with 19 in 2021.

During a recent Governmental Operations Committee meeting, City Council members discussed potential changes to the process, including setting annual caps on approved names and revising how applications are filed and reviewed.

For Pierre Johnson, he’s happy to see W.I. Johnson finally recognized and expects about 25 family members to gather in the city for the unveiling and a planned family meal.

“Now it’s just a matter of everybody showing up on Friday.”