Cornelius M. Johnson, Jr.

Cornelius Johnson was born July 31, 1971. He was the youngest of two children born to Antonetta and Cornelius Johnson, Sr., in Kansas City, Missouri. He was a beautiful and adorable baby boy with big dark brown eyes and thick dark eyebrows with cheeks you wanted to kiss all the time.

Cornelius accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. He was educated in the Catholic and Detroit Public School

system. Cornelius left Henry Ford High School at 16 years old to earn a GED to follow his dreams as a musical artist touring major cities with the management support of Muhammad Ali, the great American boxing champion. His ability to write and produce music and poetry also gave him an opportunity to work for the SouthEnd Newspaper at Wayne State University while attending college. His most memorable interview was with Run DMC, a rap group legend. Dr. Daphne Ntiri recalled him conducting Poetry workshops for her literacy program, Another Chance, at Wayne State University. Indeed, Cornelius was a multi-talented person.

Cornelius had an entrepreneurial spirit at an early age. When he was 12 years old, he attended real estate seminars to learn how to purchase and flip houses. He was also an inventor.

In 2001, his beautiful son, Quran Davis was born. He wanted the best for his son who excelled in education and sports earning him a college scholarship.

Even though Cornelius was born with Sickle Cell Anemia, he didn’t let it stop him from pursuing his dreams. He created the Sickle Cell Awareness Group, a non-profit, to tell the story of people suffering from this disease. Doctors told his family he wouldn’t live past 25 years old; Cornelius turned 55 years old July 31, 2026.

As he aged, Sickle Cell Disease took a front seat in his life. Through it all, family was most important to him. Preceding him in death was his father, Cornelius M. Johnson, Sr., and stepfather, Lawrence R. Gardner. He leaves to cherish his memories a mother, Antonetta Johnson-Gardner, a son, Quran Davis, a sister, Camedra L. Johnson, a nephew, Thomas Cummings, a niece, Malaysia Cummings, two great nephews, Elijah and Isaiah Cummings, a great niece, Reagan Rose Cummings, a special cousin, Anthony Davis, and several uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.