Josephine Johnson Chambliss was born on December 9, 1940 , in Burke County, N.C. and a graduate of Olive Hill High School in Morganton, N.C. She attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1964. She obtained degrees from Howard University and University of California- Berkeley and taught at multiple universities around the nation.

Viewing will be Friday, Jan 17, 2020, from 5-7 p.m. at L. Hodges Funeral Services.  Funeral Service will be held Sunday, January 19, 2020, at 2 p.m. at Second Missionary Baptist church with burial in Oxford Memorial Cemetery. L. Hodge Funeral Services has charge of arrangements.

Josephine married Alvin O. Chambliss, Jr. Esq. on December 31, 1972. They moved to Oxford where they were committed public servants to the local community and beyond. Josephine was employed by the Oxford School District where she worked until she retired in 1993.  Josephine’s dedication to ensuring that all children could learn and be successful in math is demonstrated in the number of testimonies of her students and successful mentees that herald her impact and their gratitude at her dedication to learning.  

Josephine personified God’s mercy with recurrent victory over a plethora of illnesses. She was a delightful presence, exuding a quiet strength and readily spouting her mantra of “having faith, being loving and kind to all,”— the key to her peace and success.

After celebrating 79 years of life, Josephine was called home on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. She is survived by her husband, Alvin O. Chambliss, Jr. Esq.; daughter, Sadarie Chambliss Holston, Esq. (Simeon), of Bowie, Md.; son, Alvin O. Chambliss, III (Miriam), of Tacoma, Wash., and daughter, Alvenia Chambliss, of Houston, Texas; siblings, Leonia Dula (Brad), of Lenoir, N.C.; Frances Thomas, of Morganton, N.C.; Lorraine Boston (Claude), of Morganton, N.C.; Wayeman Johnson (Carrie), of Morganton, and Annette Pearce, of Hampton, Ga.; six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews, family, and mentees who adored her tremendously. She is preceded in death by her parents, Isacc Isaiah Johnson and Ella Odessa Kincaid Johnson; her sister, Priscilla Odessa Perkins (William); and step-daughter, Jennifer Lumzy-Taylor.