Ruby Leevy Johnson

Ruby Leevy Johnson was born on February 8, 1917. She is the eldest daughter of the late Isaac Samuel Leevy and Mary Kirkland Leevy. Raised in Columbia, South Carolina she was educated in the public schools of Richland County and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1934. While in high school she started her career in business by assisting her parents in their various business enterprises like the Leevy’s Department Store, Leevy’s Beauty Shop, Leevy’s Tailoring Shop and Leevy’s Funeral Home. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Benedict College in Education.

She has had a distinguished career as a licensed funeral director for over half a century. Her duties and experiences have been extensive. She has been described as the “Jackie of all trades and the master of them all.” With a dedication to the funeral profession that is unparalleled, she has worked in the funeral business as a grief counselor, secretary, musician, customer representative, bookkeeper, and public relations coordinator. Over a span of 74 years, “Miss Ruby” has been the rock on which the business has steadily expanded. In 1995, she was elevated to her current position of President of Leevy’s Funeral Home. She represents the second generation and works daily with her son, I. S. Leevy Johnson, the third generation, and her grandson, Chris Leevy Johnson, who represents the fourth generation.

Ruby Leevy Johnson is the mother of five children: Jamescina Degraffenreidt, Charles “Boogie” Johnson, I. S. Leevy Johnson, and Andrena Weston (one son, Carroll Moten Johnson passed in 2000). She has nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren who are the joys of her life.