Kathryn May Pierret Johnson

Kathryn May Pierret Johnson moved from her Nampa home to her eternal dwelling on Feb. 2, 2007. A worship service in witness of Resurrection will be held in her honor at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007 at College Church of the Nazarene. Services are under the direction of Alsip and Persons Funeral Chapel, 404 10th Ave. South Nampa 466-3545. Condolences and memories can be sent to the funeral chapel website at www.alsipfuneralchapel.com . Kathryn was born on Nov. 15, 1914 in St. Joseph, Mo., the daughter of Dr. Wilbur and Grace Pierret. She moved with her parents to Denver, Colo. when she was five years old. Auntie LeAnn came by streetcar to their home every Sunday to take them to church. Because of Auntie's prayers, the whole family came to a life changing commitment to Jesus. Kathryn was unswerving in her spiritual growth. She attended Pasadena College in Pasadena, Calif. where she held several class offices including Student Body Vice President before graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Sociology. On Feb. 8, 1944, Kathryn married her college sweetheart, Benjamin Edgar Johnson. They served together in Christian Ministry for nearly 63 years. Their pastorates in California included Los Angeles, Whittier, Santa Ana and Upland where she taught young adult classes for 27 years. When Kathryn and B. Edgar moved to Kansas City, she devoted her energies to writing for Beacon Hill Press and Nazarene Publishing House and inspirational speaking at women's gatherings. She served as managing editor of the Preacher's Magazine for 13 years and was the first woman to serve on the Publishing House Book Committee. In the years since moving to Nampa, Kathryn has carried an "under the radar" ministry of encouragement through greeting cards and letters. Kathryn was a devoted mother and mentor to her daughters Lois and Janet. They will miss her weekly letters, daily prayers, delightful sense of humor, funny gifts and witty conversations. Her sons-in-law, Dale and Dana, were the sons she never had. She doted on her three grandchildren, Adrian, Alysha, and Logan. Every lost tooth was acknowledged with a white shirt button under the pillow at grandmas house, in order to trick the tooth fairy (who she insisted was nearsighted) into leaving an additional quarter. Kathryn was a hiker. She loved the western woods and mountains. Trips to Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, the Sequoias and numerous other scenic wonders were high points of every year. For their 50th wedding anniversary, children and grandchildren joined them in a tour of Zion and Bryce National Parks and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Surrounded by the beauty of Gods creation, Kathryn said, ÒMy soul can come out and run around.Ó Kathryn is survived by her husband, B. Edgar Johnson of Nampa; daughters Lois (Dale) Van Hooser of Nampa and Jan (Dana) Bonstrom of Colville, Wash.; grandchildren Alysha (Tim) Schlack of Alexandria, Va., Adrian (Melissa) Van Hooser of West Jordan, Utah and Logan Bonstrom of Colville, Wash. and her sister, Dorothy Rockel of San Jacinto, Calif. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother-in-law, Clifford Rockel. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the B. Edgar and Kathryn Johnson Endowed Scholarship at Northwest Nazarene University, 623 Holly St., Nampa, ID 83686.