Herrin- Wilma Ruth Johnson, age 74, of Herrin, passed away at 7:39pm on Saturday, August 20, 2016 at her home in Herrin, surrounded by her loving family.
Wilma was born in Centralia on May 27, 1942, the daughter of Wilvey and Maxcene (Creed) Veller. She married Carl Dean Johnson in Mount Vernon on June 12, 1959. Together, they have shared fifty-seven years of marriage. He survives.
Wilma was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She felt her calling in life was to love and care for her family and took immense joy in spending time with them.
Wilma embodied this quote by Maya Angelou “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” She had a true servants heart that took joy in helping others and always made the people she came in contact with feel important and loved.
Mrs. Johnson was a member of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Marion and had an extraordinary love for the Lord. She started each day with a “quiet time” devoted to reading her Bible, meditation and prayer. She was dedicated to her church and church family and participated in the life and fabric of the church.
She loved working in her garden and over 23 years transformed a dirt backyard into a beautiful oasis of English, meditation and butterfly gardens with large open grass areas to watch her grandchildren and great grandchildren laugh and play.
Wilma was an avid photographer. She took thousands of pictures of her family, friends, events and travel adventures. She preserved precious memories in dozens of albums for her family to enjoy and treasure.
Wilma was a voracious reader. She loved her book club, Herrin library and exchanging books with her friend Michael in Worcester MA.
After raising her children into adulthood, Wilma went back to school at the age of 42 to fulfill a life long dream of becoming a nurse (RN). She spent 25 years devoted to nursing and retired from Heartland Memorial Hospital in 2007.
Wilma traveled the U.S. and world as an Air Force wife. Often, she had to follow her husband Carl to remote parts of the world. She lived in Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, and visited most of the western European countries. She always made the places her family lived an adventure and turned more than 30 different houses into comfortable homes where her family felt safe and secure.
Survivors include her loving husband- Carl Johnson of Herrin
Son- Greg Johnson of Floral City, FL
Son- Stephen Johnson of Worcester, MA
Daughter- Suzie and David Reis of Herrin
Son- Andrew and Angie Johnson of Cape Girardeau, MO
Mother- Maxcene Veller of Centralia
Seven Grandchildren- Juliann Johnson
Matthew Johnson
Grace Johnson
Andrew and Alanna Reis
Hannah and Matt Cleveland
Andrea and Michael Bonali
Alexandra Johnson
Six Great Grandchildren- Rupert, Peter, Adalaye, Gloria, Bentley, and Philip
Three sisters- Carolyn and Robert Hoffman of Trenton
Shirley and Roger King of Centralia
Norma and Matt Hails of Centralia
Sister-in-law- Kay Veller of Pittsburg
Several Nieces and Nephews
She was preceded in death by her father- Wilvey Veller, one brother- Lennie Veller, and one sister- Bonnie Davis.
Funeral services will be held at 11am on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Marion. Rev. Tim Ozment will officiate. Private interment will take place at Hillcrest Cemetery in Centralia. Visitation will be held from 5-8pm on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at Johnson-Hughes Funeral Home in Herrin.
For those who prefer, memorial donations may be made to the Aldersgate United Methodist Church Benevolence Fund or the Herrin City Library. Envelopes will be available and accepted at Johnson-Hughes Funeral Home; 201 S. 13th Street; Herrin, IL 62948. For more information, or to sign the memorial guest register, please visit www.hughesfuneralhomes.com