GARNETT JOHNSON

1924 - 2021

JOHNSON (Stout Brown), Garnett Marie

Garnett Marie Stout Brown Johnson (August 8, 1924 – June 23, 2021), proud descendent of the brave Penelope Stout, whose story Garnett loved to tell. Preceded in death by her parents, Thorne Franklin Stout and Lovella (Sweeney/Holley) Stout; her brothers Donald E. Stout (Glo) and Kenneth S Stout; and her two husbands, J. Theodore Brown and David Johnson, and her best friend, Betty DeMint, whom she sorely missed. Survived by four daughters, Judith Yeager (Mike), Theresa Norwark (Joe), Victoria Rush (Joe), and Anne Catherine Brown (Todd Kirchhoff); five grandchildren, Erin Norwark (Jeff Neace), Michael Rush, Sarah Kirchhoff, Aubrey Kirchhoff, and Molly Kirchhoff; and three great-grandchildren, Emma Neace, Jackson Neace, and Parker Neace, and her niece, Holly Gibson (Dan) and nephew, Scott Stout (Bev, deceased).

Garnett graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1942, where she was a member of the swimming and basketball teams. She enjoyed tennis, square dancing, and roller skating. She had the soul of an artist and studied painting and drawing at the Dayton Art Institute and Sinclair Community College. She also engaged in sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and cake decorating. She was a member of the Miamisburg Art Guild. She was very active in her church, Church of the Cross, serving for a time as church secretary, and teaching Cleophus Adult Sunday School classes for many years. She spearheaded the wedding reception committee, coordinating volunteers to provide lovely receptions for many couples. She also volunteered at St. Paul's Methodist Church in Dayton. She served as a principal in Brown-Rees Farms, Inc.

Garnett made sure her daughters had everything she didn't have as a child growing up through The Great Depression, including beautiful hand sewn and embroidered clothing (also some for the children of friends who didn't sew), special (some might say over-the-top) holidays, and college educations. She had a kind heart and always made room for anyone who felt adrift. She loved to travel, having been throughout the US including Alaska and Hawaii, Europe, and Panama, where her dropped camera is still in the depths of the canal.

Garnett resided most recently at Brookdale Senior Living where she made many friends, especially her dinner companions, the "rowdy table". Her philosophy was when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and then have a seed spitting contest.

Visitation will be held 10 am, Tuesday, July 6th at Church of the Cross United Methodist, 3121 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, OH 45429, followed by a formal service in the sanctuary at noon. Interment will follow the service at David's Cemetery, Kettering, OH.

Please consider donations in her memory to Church or the Cross. Thank you.

To share a memory of Garnett or leave her family a special message, please visit www.newcomerdayton.com.