Johanna Smith Wood, of Washington, DC, transitioned to her eternal home on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the age of 99. Johanna was born on January 14, 1927, to Dr. Thomas and Birdie C. Smith. She was the third of five sisters.

Johanna was a graduate of Dunbar High School, received her bachelor’s degree from Fisk University, her master’s from Case Western Reserve, and her doctorate from the University of Maryland. She spent over twenty-five years of her career working as a librarian for both the District of Columbia Public Library system and the District of Columbia Public Schools’ system. Johanna also served as an assistant professor at the University if the District of Columbia as well as authored numerous published articles and research papers. After retiring as a librarian in 1980, Johanna’s remaining working years were as a real estate investor. Johanna was a member of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Johanna was preceded in death by her husband, John Roland Wood; her daughter, Lynda Morris Thomas; her sisters, Mathilde (James) Gray, Therrell Camille Smith, Marion Smith (Robert) Haynes, and Jusouida Melva (Donald) Brown; and her nephews, James C. Gray, Jr., and Thomas Brown.

Johanna is survived by her son, David Keith Morris; her grandchildren, Johanna Rose Thomas, Leonard (Ashley) Thomas, and William Philip (Kathryn) Thomas; her great-grandchildren, Rosalyn Elizabeth Thomas, Abigail Camille Thomas, and Henry Leonard Thomas; her son-in-law, Reginald L. Thomas; several of her nephews and nieces, William Donald Brown III, Michelle Brown, M.D., Barbara J. Brown, Ph.D., Gregory Kent Haynes, Stephanie (Ollie) Matson, and Gina Haynes-Sanders; as well as a great-niece and nephews and many other relatives.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Johanna’s undergraduate alma mater, Fisk University.

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