Jacqueline L. Johnson, retired Spanish teacher and former Eagles cheerleader, has died at 75

Jacqueline L. Johnson, 75, of Philadelphia, longtime Spanish teacher for the Philadelphia School District, teacher mentor and peer intervention specialist, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority activist, and one of the first Black Eagles cheerleaders, died Monday, Feb. 3, of complications from a stroke at KeystoneCare hospice in Wyndmoor.

A lifetime resident of Germantown and Mount Airy, with degrees in foreign language and education from Cheyney and Temple Universities, Ms. Johnson taught Spanish and mentored students and staff at Jay Cooke and Woodrow Wilson Junior High Schools, and then Northeast, Germantown, and Roxborough High Schools from the mid-1970s to her retirement from the classroom in 2000.

She was a natural-born teacher and caregiver, said her daughter, Brittni Wilson. Bubbly and outgoing, she made connections with people easily, and her classroom was a safe space for her students. “You could feel comfortable in Miss Johnson’s class,” her daughter said.

She embraced Latino culture and chaperoned class trips to Spain and Mexico. Eventually, she taught the children of her former students, and many of them greeted her warmly when she was out and about. “And she remembered every single student,” her daughter said.

She championed more funding for education initiatives and teacher benefits through the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and spoke passionately at labor rallies and union meetings. She became a student teacher mentor, staff development leader, and peer intervention specialist for the union after she left the classroom.

She retired completely in 2008. “She could read a room and make people comfortable,” her daughter said. “She was always about helping people.”

Longtime friend and sorority sister Cheryl Harper said: “She was an excellent role model.”

Ms. Johnson enjoyed music and dancing. Her four brothers played sports growing up, and she was a cheerleader in junior high, high school, and college. In the mid-1970s, she became one of the first Black cheerleaders on the sidelines at Eagles football games.

She cheered on Sundays and represented the team at promotional and public events for several years into the early ’80s. A poster of her squad appears briefly in the 2006 movie Invincible, set during the 1976 Eagles season. “She made a lot of friends on those weekends,” her daughter said.

She mentored mothers and children through the Philadelphia chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc., and routinely reunited with her own group of cohorts they called the Forever Friends. She joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Cheyney and ran committees and food, clothing, and toiletry drives for her underserved neighbors.

“She was the most selfless person I know,” her daughter said.

Jacqueline Leona Johnson was born Sept. 2, 1949, in Philadelphia. She had two older brothers and two younger brothers, and was, they all said, daddy’s girl. Everybody called her Sissy.

She was close to her brothers and made lifelong friends in the Girl Scouts. She especially enjoyed helping her mother and grandmother make Sunday dinner.

“She was a lively and personable child with boundless energy,” her family said in a tribute.

She was 2 when the Johnsons moved from North Philadelphia to become the first Black family on their block in Germantown. They attended Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, and Ms. Johnson sang in the junior choir. Later, she joined Grace Baptist Church and was a praise dancer and frequent contributor to the congregational newsletter.

She was an honor roll student at Germantown High School and earned an academic scholarship to Cheyney. She graduated fifth in her college class in 1971 and went on to earn her master’s degree at Temple.

Ms. Johnson had a daughter, Brittni, in 1985. She doted on her grandson, JoJo, her dogs, Chance and Lena, and her cat, Mommy Cat. She liked water ice and was an avid reader.

“She was loving, trusting, and bubbly,” her daughter said. “She was my best friend.”

In addition to her daughter and grandson, Ms. Johnson is survived by three brothers and other relatives. A brother died earlier.

Services were held on Feb. 18.

Donations in her name may be made to the Philadelphia Education Fund, 718 Arch St., Suite 700N, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106.