Tena Lee Myles Johnson Brown was born on October 31, 1923 to James and Johnnie Myles, in Thomasville, Georgia. She was the second of three children who grew up and attended school in the mall town. At the age of 17, she wanted to live in the big city of Miami, and moved to live with her aunt, Rosetta Reid. While working at a local laundry, she met and married Charles Johnson in 1943. From this union two children were born: Stella L. and Gregory V. Johnson. Years later she re-married and was employed as a Nurse's Aide at Jackson Memorial Hospital for 35 years. During this period, she developed wonderful friendship that endured for years after her retirement in 1985.

Among the many activities she enjoyed with family and friends were cook-outs, card games and dancing. This is an addendum to the family's relationship: Her nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly, called her "Annie". I can only suppose that Aunt or Auntie just did'nt sound right. My brother and I also addressed her sister, our Aunt Corene, by the same title, "Annie". For many years and forever this was just the way it was. As the family grew to include grand, great grand nieces, nephews and cousins, several of these young relatives must have believed that Tena L. Johnson Brown's actual name was Annie. Even today, she is addressed as "Auntie Annie" by several of them. At least one, fully adult, friend of mine, who shared many family gathering with us pulled me aside one day and asked why were these two sisters given the same name? Go figure.

For many years, before her health began to decline church service and church retreats consumed much of her time. She was also to a real do-it-yourselfer, who enjoyed gardening and maintained a watermelon and a collard green patch in her back yard in Bunche Park. A fix-it lady who maintained an immaculate lawn and was not shy about tackling other minor home maintenance chores. A regular thrift store shopper, a good cook and a very stylish dresser. Her niece Paula describes her as "an immaculate, stylish dresser with matching 3 1/2 inch high heels". Tena Brown enjoyed a sense of independence that driving her car gave her. She stopped driving just a few years before her car broke down and her driver's license expired in 1921. (You do the math)

She leaves to mourn her two children, Stella and Gregory Johnson; her nearly 100 year old sister, Corene Walden; cousins Dorothy Wright and Polly Robinson; three grandchildren, Sanaii Johnson Morris (Larry), Tangela Carthan; and Vontrell Johnson; great-grandchildren, Imani, Isaiah, Tyreq, Taylor, Chloe, and Vontrell Jr.; and great-great-grands, Isabella and Gabriella; nieces and nephews, Betty, Paula and Danetta, Daniel (Barbara), Terry, Erick (Agnes) and Vincent (Margaret). Her brother, Daniel and nephews Henry and Johnny Walden preceded their "Annie" in passing.