Rebecca McDonald Johnson
A “Celebration of Life” will be held for Rebecca on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at the Syre Student
Center at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington. The doors will open at 1:00
and the program will begin at 1:30.
Rebecca McDonald Johnson transitioned to the ancestors on March 12, 2026, in Bellingham
Washington. Surrounded by family and friends, she passed after a brief battle with gallbladder
cancer.
Rebecca will be remembered for her warm and welcoming demeanor, tireless advocacy social
change, and as a loving mother, wife, aunt, and friend. She cared deeply about her family,
friends, and community and was always ready to roll up her sleeves to help and to open her
home in times of celebration and struggle.
Rebecca was born on February 12, 1958, in Seattle Washington. She was the youngest of five
siblings born to Claude “Red” McDonald and Ruth Graham McDonald. She had an idyllic
childhood on Yarrow Point, Bellevue Washington, and graduated from Bellevue High School in
1976.
When Rebecca was in high school, her sister Flossie invited her to visit Washington State
University (WSU) where Black Power advocate Stokely Carmichael gave a lecture. His speech
left an indelible impression on young Rebecca, and she developed a lifelong commitment to
racial justice.
Rebecca attended WSU where she met Vernon Damani Johnson, a graduate student, who
became the love of her life. Across the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rebecca and Damani were
part of the network of activists engaged in South African divestment, farmworkers issues, and
global human rights.
Rebecca married Damani in 1982 in Pullman, Washington and graduated from WSU in 1984.
The couple lived in Spokane, then Seattle and in 1986 moved to Bellingham where Damani was
offered a teaching position at Western Washington University.
Rebecca worked in the insurance business but soon after moving to Bellingham, she began
working in community organizations, including WomenCare Shelter and then at the Whatcom
County Health Department where she did HIV testing, health education, and outreach. From
there she was hired by Interfaith Community Health Center to administer its Ryan White
Program, the largest federally funded program to care for people living with HIV/AIDS. She
would eventually become development director for the health center and served a brief stint as
interim executive director in the 2000s.
Along the way Rebecca acquired a graduate certificate in public health from the University of
Washington and a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership at Seattle University.
In 2009 Rebecca went into full-time community health consulting, first for Community Link
Consulting, and in 2013 she established her own business, Health Center Solutions. Originally
serving the Pacific Northwest region, she would come to have clients from Alaska to the
Carolinas.
Somehow Rebecca found time to get deeply involved in the Bellingham and Whatcom County
community. Damani and Rebecca had been associated with the Washington state branch of
Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition from their time in Seattle and they brought the movement to
Whatcom County in 1988. They were both Jackson delegates to the 1988 Washington State
Democratic Convention. They remained active in the state coalition until the mid-1990s, and
the Whatcom County chapter which survived until the turn of the century. The couple loved the
Rainbow idea. It gave them language to articulate the journey they had embarked upon in their
relationship and political work.
Rebecca’s community service did not stop there. The deadly pipeline explosion in Bellingham in
1998 occurred near her home and the Johnsons had relationships with the families of the three
children who were killed. She served as a board member of the Pipeline Safety Trust from 2005
to 2013.
She also served as a commissioner on the Bellingham Whatcom County Commission Against
Domestic Violence and on the boards of Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood and Northwest Youth
Services. Most recently, Rebecca has been actively involved with the League of Women Voters including serving as co-president; and as a trustee, and president of the board of trustees of
Whatcom Community College.
For all her notable community service Rebecca’s deepest commitments were to her family, her
life partner Damani and their two children Cedric and Elizabeth. She and Damani were best
friends and political compatriots. Rebecca volunteered in the kids’ classrooms and chaperoned
school excursions. She was close to her extended family and affectionately known as “Aunt
Boppy.” The Johnson family regularly hosted Thanksgiving dinners for up to 40 people.
Rebecca’s presence will be sorely missed.
She is preceded in passing by her father, “Red;” her mother Ruth, her brother Peter McDonald;
and her niece, Megan Crowther. She is survived by her husband, Damani; her children, Cedric
and Elizabeth; her sisters, Linda Fremott (John), Claudia Kokinda, and Florence Crowther (Ric);
and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers donations in Rebecca’s name can be made to:
- Whatcom Community College Foundation
- Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho
- Bellingham Food Bank
Memories
From Devyn Nixon
So much gratitude for the few years I got to be in the presence of such a brilliant, humble, curious, faithful advocate. Her presence was the epitome of warmth. Her hosting skills were unmatched. Rebecca will be fondly remembered and forever loved.
From Deborah
Rebecca was truly one of a kind. She had a beautiful spirit. I will always remember how warm and welcoming she was. She opened her doors and her hear so freely. Being around her felt like home even though I was far from my home. I feel incredibly grateful to have known her. She will be deeply missed but her light and love will never be forgotten.
From Shovia Muchira…
I met Rebecca through the League of Women Voters. She was a true powerhouse—an exceptional listener who continuously evolved, championed equity, and worked to unite people across all backgrounds. She always stepped up, and her smile said everything.
I also knew her as a devoted mother, wife, and supportive friend who encouraged me in my own efforts to contribute to our community. Her gentle spirit and smile linger in my memory every day, and I will never forget her.
From Deb Behrens
I met Rebecca through her sister, Flossie. She was a glass 1/2 full individual with a wide smile, quick wit and easy laugh. Her accomplishments might have been intimidating but she was never about herself but of others.
My thoughts are with her family as they process their loss of an amazing Mom, wife, sister, and aunt.
From Jodi Wallace
Rebecca. How much I enjoyed being in your company. Some people are just easy to be with and you are one of them. We laughed together, we understood things the same way, we fell into easy conversation. Thank you for sharing Cedric with us-and specifically Rachel. I'll miss you. And I already regret our missed opportunities for connection.
From Jordy Covington
I first met Rebecca through Damani, my professor at WWU. After years of classes and TAing, I eventually found myself invited to the Johnson dinner table. While meeting a professor’s family could have felt a little intimidating, Rebecca’s warmth immediately did away with any formality. Over the years, the Johnsons became family to us, and my husband and I cherished every meal and visit.
One of our favorite memories is from a Kwanzaa party in 2024. The table was practically buckling under the weight of the feast, and Rebecca emerged looking absolutely glamorous in her holiday best - carrying a giant platter of instant taquitos. It was the perfect "no-frills" appetizer and that platter was empty in literal *seconds*. To us, that was Rebecca in a nutshell: effortlessly elegant, yet totally practical and fun.
She was a natural host who could effortlessly run a packed kitchen while holding in-depth conversations with her guests. She is and will continue to be deeply missed; we are so grateful that her presence and demeanor live on in her children and loved ones.
From Joseph Garcia
Rebecca has always been a true force for good in our community. Rebecca opened her home and friendship to us 30 years ago and even held a baby shower for our newly adopted baby 24 years ago. She was always sensitive to the needs and cultures of other people and was able to engage with everyone. I cannot imagine the world and our community without her endless energy and positive outlook.
From Sue Hilton
I am so sorry to have learned of Rebecca's passing. She was one of a kind. This is truly a great loss for her family and her community.
From Charlie Maliszewski
Rebecca was a breath of fresh air, a beacon in the darkness, a warm fire, a trumpet for justice. She embodied the best of what our community has to offer and will be dearly missed. My heart goes out to Damani, Cedric, and Elizabeth.
From Rita Motlana
The news of Rebecca’s illness and her passing was truly heartbreaking for so many of us.
Rebecca was first and foremost a dear friend to Oupa from decades ago - and through that connection, I had no choice but to fall in love with her too. Together with Damani, she went out of her way to welcome and care for a young, lonely South African political refugee studying far from home in the 1970s. I came to understand the special role Rebecca played in “keeping the boys in check”! 😊
Meeting Rebecca for the first time was a little tense, given the history she shared with Damani and Oupa, but that quickly faded as I settled into my own unique friendship with her.
Rebecca became that kind of friend who, despite the distance, is always top of mind during life’s milestones. It’s no surprise that she became part of the Motlana family. We were fortunate to share many joyful moments together - in Nice, Johannesburg, and Port Alfred.
Rebecca was always ready to create unforgettable surprises. Seeing Oupa’s face when two of his lifelong friends arrived unannounced in Nice, France, to celebrate his 60th birthday was priceless. During the four days we spent together in Nice and Monaco, Rebecca effortlessly built meaningful connections with everyone - Oupa’s family, my family (the Ugandans kept asking why we had never introduced them to such “cool people” before!), and the many friends who joined the celebrations.
She bonded beautifully with our children as well - sharing special moments like attending a Maroon 5 concert with Keza. With Rebecca, age was never a barrier; she connected with everyone so naturally. These memories live on in the photo collage we’ve shared with the Johnson family.
We will miss Rebecca deeply. I found myself in tears again while putting those photos together, realizing that a cherished member of our family is no longer with us.
We will always remember her warm smile, her generous hugs, and her deep love for people - regardless of age or background.
May Rebecca rest in peace. And may Damani, Cedric, and Lizzie find strength and comfort in the days ahead.
From Lebohang Motlana
I have lost a very dear friend.
I have known Rebecca since my University days at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, (WAZU), where my roommate Damani (I still do not know how he managed it) stole the heart of a stunningly beautiful young lady called Rebecca (she insisted on the full name but I, in all these years, could not get away from calling her Becky).
At the time WSU was a place where the minority of black students on campus were athletes, those who came as pure academic students, such as Damani and I, were an even greater minority. The environment in and around Pullman, Washington was not conducive to an interracial partnership such as that of Rebecca and Damani - that their love endured for decades is true testament of who Rebecca was. We did some crazy things together, Rebecca, Damani and I, which I will not enumerate on this solemn occasion save to say all of it consolidated a deep decades long true friendship.
On all my special occasions Rebecca and Damani were present from the birth of my daughter Keza whom Rebecca held in her arms when she was two years old to my 60th birthday in Nice, France where our common lunch was wine and dinner was cognac. She joined us for my obsession with Formula One racing in Monte Carlo, Monaco. On my wife, Rita’s fiftieth birthday party at the Oceana resort in the Eastern Cape, we danced the nights away and filled our toes with the South African beach sand. She toured Jo’burg and Pretoria with us and enjoyed the craziness that is South Africa.
When I learned of the medical emergency Rebecca faced, I was gravely concerned and when her wonderful soul passed-on I was devasted. I had lost a valued, loved and cherished bosom buddy. I miss her dearly and wish Cedric, Lizzie, Damani and the Johnson and McDonald families strength and fortitude during this difficult and challenging time.
May Her Special Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.
From Margo Malone
Rebecca was such an amazing person! She was extremely intelligent, genuine and kind, welcoming, energetic, thoughtful, and fun. She was a great role model for so many of us. I honestly don't know how she managed to do all that she did, for her friends, her family, her community. She worked tirelessly for social justice, health equity, education, political engagement, the list goes on. She was a lovely human being, and I am grateful to have known her. The world will miss her.
From Carrie Blackwood
❤️-just leaving a bit of my heart here to share with all of you.
From Shirley osterhaus
Rebecca’s obituary says it all so well. What a beautiful and powerful voice and activist for justice. She definitely lives on.
From Keneilwe Motlana
Rebecca (aka my American mom) ♥️
When I moved to the US, I was so nervous stepping into a place I knew nothing about—but you made me feel at home right away. A world without you feels surreal. Your warmth and kindness had a way of making everyone feel like they belonged.
I miss you so much, and I still can’t believe you’re gone. Thank you for being you and for showing me just how powerful kindness can be. I love you, and I will carry your memory with me forever. ♥️
From James P Loucky
Her inspiring family and the hundreds who are paying our respects reveal what a remarkable influence Rebecca has been. Always courageous and compassionate, and leading still.
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