Dorothy A. Johnson

Dorothy A. Johnson, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Friday, August 12, at StoryPoint in Midland. A Funeral Mass for Dorothy will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Loren Kalinowski as celebrant. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery with a luncheon following at Sacred Heart Parish Hall. The family will receive friends at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home on Sunday from 4-7 p.m. with the Vigil beginning at 6:30 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Monday one hour prior to Mass. Memorial gifts may be made to the Dorothy A. Johnson Scholarship Fund through the Sacred Heart Foundation, Meals on Wheels through the Commission on Aging, or MidMichigan Hospice. Envelopes are available at the funeral home. Dorothy was born and raised in Detroit, daughter of the late George T. and Viola (Cull) Moylan. She graduated from St. Anthony's School, earned her Bachelor Degree in Social Work from Marygrove College, and worked with St. Vincent De Paul Family Services until she married Dr. Philip R. Johnson on July 5, 1941 in Detroit. They moved to Mt. Pleasant, where she resided for more than 70 years. In addition to being a loving wife, mother and grandmother, she was a business woman, store owner, and member of the Mt. Pleasant Downtown Business Association. She was active in her community, serving on the City Parks and Recreation Commission, volunteering at the hospital, her church and her children's school. She was also a founding member of Sacred Heart Academy Foundation. She was a woman of faith with a kind and empathetic nature. She taught religious education to developmentally disabled adults and treated everyone with kindness, dignity and respect. Mrs. Johnson was an active learner who kept current with national, state and local public issues. She studied conversational Russian at Central Michigan University and traveled to Russia and later to Brazil, England, and Norway. She was an avid card player (Bridge was her favorite!) and she played it socially and competitively. She also enjoyed creative crafts, including hat and hand-stitched quilt-making, gifting each of her children a quilt that she designed especially for them. She canned the pears and grapes that grew in her own yard and gave away much of it to anyone expressing an interest. She encouraged her children to take dance, music and art lessons and, despite hearing hours of practicing at home, she attended all of their recitals and programs. She was physically active and remarkably strong, learning to swim later in life and regularly walking for exercise. She independently maintained the family home for nearly 30 years. She loved big family gatherings and hosted reunions for many years at Huffman Lake near Gaylord, where her children and grandchildren could spend a week together, playing, laughing and eating. Her legacy is her family! Dorothy is survived by her children, Philip (Gloria) Johnson Jr. of Midland; Anne Avery of Fairfax, VA; John (Neire) Johnson of Oak Hill, VA, Janet (Harry Hill) Patrick of Lansing, Robert Johnson of Frisco, TX, Mary (Dave) Maness of Mt. Pleasant, Margaret (Mike) Covington of Midland, and Helen (Doug) Hackett of Brighton; 26 grandchildren, Mike Johnson, Phil (Julie) Johnson, Kristen (Roger) Hillman, Michelle (Chris) Waskevich, Rob (Jasmine DAddario) Fobian, Mike (Veronica Cree) Fobian, Mark (Lauren) Johnson, Jessica (Miles) De Feyter, Matthew (Sarah) Johnson, Derek (Lindsey Hutchison) Johnson, Blake Johnson, Chase Johnson, Nicole (Jason) Goudelock, Brent (Katie) Johnson, Paul Johnson, Sarah (Mike) Newby, Megan (Jared) Hood, Andy (Katie) Maness, Hannah Maness, Lauren Covington, Rachel (Paul) Nold, Stephen Covington, Brian Hackett, Kendra Hackett, and Eric Hackett; and 24 great grandchildren, Brooke Johnson, Zach, Kelsie and Kaelie Johnson, Ashlea and Brandon Hillman, Katelyn, Luke and Lora Waskevich, Oliver and Carmella Fobian, Tyler, Kaleb and Jacob Fobian, Alexandra, Brooks and Meadow De Feyter, Jack Johnson, Maxwell Johnson, Caitlyn Goudelock, Micah Newby and Baby Newby (due Jan. 2017), Addilyn Hood, and Baby Maness (due any day); sisters, Margaret White of Clinton Township and Kathleen Unti of Grosse Pointe; and numerous nieces and nephews. Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dr. Philip R. Johnson; grandson, John Henry Johnson; brothers, Donald, George, Robert and Patrick Moylan; and extended family members and friends that she held dear throughout her long and fruitful life.