Kendall M. Johnson-Smith

Kendall M. Johnson-Smith

October 21, 1981-March 3, 2026

Daughter, sister, auntie, cousin, athlete, singer, dancer, visual artist, healer, leader, therapist, human: Kendall Johnson-Smith of South Hadley, MA and Brooklyn, NY passed away on March 3, 2026.

Educated at Williston-Northampton School, DePaul and Fordham Universities, Kendall was a clinical psychotherapist and mental health consultant. She had over 20 years of experience providing mental health/wellness services as a licensed clinical social worker and a certified practitioner of Indigenous Focused Oriented Therapy. Kendall had a calling to educate young people and support their mental health and wellness through her social work and clinical practice, and she dedicated her life to their mental and spiritual healing through Western, Native American and African Indigenous wellness practices. She was the author of Wellness: My Personal Workbook and co-author of Ifá for Kids: An Aborisha Workbook. 

Also known as Iya Fasewa, Kendall was a priest of Ifá, Osun and Egbe in the West African spiritual tradition of Ifá. She was a beloved teacher and Director at Ifá for Kids, an organization that teaches young people life lessons drawn from the spiritual beliefs and practices of Ifá.

Kendall lived her true authentic self everyday. She was a force and loved by many. She leaves her parents, Teena Wilson and Preston Smith II, their spouses, Ric Wilson and Lynda Pickbourn, her younger brother Nii Kwei Smith and her older brother, Eris Johnson-Smith and his wife, Coco Killingsworth and their children, Ehze and Asali Johnson-Smith. She also leaves countless friends, colleagues and clients, young and old that she loved and cared for. 

There will be a memorial service on August 8, 2026 in New York City. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kendall M. Johnson-Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund:   https://www.gofundme.com/f/kendall-m-johnsonsmith-memorial-scholarship-fund