Wednesday 20 July 2005

Grace Ann Johnson nee Benson was born in Wadena on March 28, 1941, to Doris and Emil Benson. She was raised on a farm northeast of Margo along with her sister Reta and brothers Bruce and Neil.

Grace was an eager and conscientious student who enjoyed learning and earned high marks. In 1958 she married her high school sweetheart, Don Johnson, and devoted herself to making a home for him and the family of four that followed: Kathy, Karen, Cameron, and Joan. Their friends, as well as her nieces, nephews and eventually grandkids, were always welcome. She took time to sing and play with small children, and as they grew older she took a genuine interest in everything they did. The children of her friends and neighbours were also important to her, and she happily attended many school and church performances they were involved in.

Grace liked the humour of the British TV series Coronation Street and was impatient if interrupted when “her” show was on. She loved music, played accordion and piano by ear, and sang with her younger sister Reta from the time they were little girls. As an adult she had a rich, sweet alto voice and sang with a number of choral groups. She must have had a song in her heart, for at home she was always humming and singing.

One of Grace’s passions was for fabric. She amassed an impressive collection; some she kept for years because it was, she thought, too beautiful to cut into. She initiated the Margo quilting club and joined or founded several groups. Her homes and those of her friends and family were ornamented by her creative handiwork, and in the last year of her life she inspired her daughters to work with her on quilts of their own. She was determined that at least one would be a quilter, she joked; but they knew she meant it.

Grace had another great passion: ice cream. A bowl a day was her longstanding tradition and she was known to gleefully give her grandchildren ice cream for breakfast upon occasion. Even in her last days, she perked up in anticipation of her favourite treat.

Before taking over the Johnson farm, Grace and Don lived in Regina, Saskatoon, Semans, Quill Lake, and Margo while Don went to university and then taught high school. After retiring from their farm near Margo, they moved to Osoyoos, BC; Olds, Alta; Salmon Arm, BC, and finally to Kelowna. Open and friendly, Grace made good friends wherever she went. News of her terminal kidney cancer was a blow to her friends and family, who called and visited constantly, and sent a steady flow of cards and gifts. In the past year, Grace’s home was virtually never without several colourful bouquets of fresh flowers, reminding her how dear she was to so many.

She was easygoing and goodnatured and could be relied upon for practical solutions and a positive outlook. None can hope for more than to meet our own deaths with the courage and humour with which she confronted hers. She died in the comfort of her home in Kelowna on May 27, 2005, in the constant care of her beloved sister Reta; her husband Don, still her sweetheart; and the grown children who had the good fortune to call her Mom.

Always a lady, she was Don’s best friend and beloved wife of 46 years. She was a daughter to be proud of, a sister to look up to, a cousin to laugh with, a niece to dote upon, a mother to cherish, an aunt to admire, a grandmother to adore, and a friend to confide in. She was a smiling and happy child who grew into a smiling, happy woman. She is affectionately remembered by many and will be deeply missed by her family, with great pride in the wise and lovable character she was. She could not have been more aptly named: Grace.