Joan Margaret Askew

I have fought the good fight - I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me at that day." II Timothy 4:7-8

Joan Margaret Johnson Askew was born on October 17, 1943 to the late Rev. Dr. Richard H and Julia Taylor Johnson in Pomonkey, Md. Joan was the 5th of 7 children and she was surrounded by love and affection from her parents, siblings and members of the churches her father pastored.

In 1948, the family relocated to Washington, DC. Joan was educated in the DC public schools, graduating from Dunbar High School in 1961.

Joan attended Clafin College in Orangeburg, South Carolina, graduating with a Bachelors degree in Education in 1966. Among her many experiences there were participating in civil rights protests in Orangeburg and being inducted into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The bond that was created with her Delta sisters and other Clafin classmates remained strong throughout her life. Joan was an active member of the Clafin University Alumni Association, Washington DC Chapter.

In September 1966, Joan began her teaching career at Davis Elementary School in Southeast Washington where she remained until her retirement in 1999. During her tenure there, she as an educator of generations. Some of her earliest students became parents and she taught their children. Joan has a class trip for her 6th grade students every year travelling as far away as Canada. She a student could not afford the trip, Joan put in her money and got family and friends to contribute. In 1999, she was recognized as an outstanding teacher in Ward 7.

In June 1967, Joan married a fellow educator, Dennis Askew, a union that lasted 42 years until his death in 2010. From this union were born a daughter and son, Dana Michell and Dennis III. Joan was a devoted mother and raised her children in a loving, Christian home. Because they were both educators, the children were afforded many opportunities for learning and advancement. Their friends were always welcomed and encouraged in the Askew home.

Joan joined Ebenezer United Methodist Church when her father became pastor in 1954. She was active in Sunday school, Methodist Youth Fellowship and later became active in adult ministries, teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible school, and even worked in the Ebenezer After School Learning program where she continued to touch the lives of many young people.

Joan and her sisters and brothers exceptionally close throughout their lives and that bond extended to nieces and nephews and their children. If anyone needed help with a school project, they could count on Aunt Joan for help and guidance. Her grandson, Drew was the light of her life. She was a tutor when he needed, a cheerleader when he played sports and a constant source of love and affection.

Joan was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Dennis H. Askew, Jr., her daughter Dana Michelle Askew, and her brothers, Richard H. Johnson, Jr. and Rev. Dr. Charles A. Johnson II. She leave to cherish her memory, her son, Dennis Askew III, her grandson, Drew Askew Black, two sisters, Beverly Johnson and Florence Ray of Atlanta, Ga., two, James Alexander (Sharon) and Edgar Amos Johnson (Cynthia), sister-in-law, Rosalyn Johnson, a goddaughter, Charlynne Johnson, 9 nieces, 5 nephews, many great and great-great nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.