Helen Johnson

JOHNSON _ Helen April 2, 1922 - April 10, 2006 Helen Marie Johnson passed away at the age of 84 years in Red Deer, Alberta. Helen leaves behind many friends who have become very close to her through their association with her on the farm and through her church activities in Benalto, Eckville, Sylvan Lake and Red Deer. Helen volunteered for "Royal Purple" functions in these communities for many years and was a very popular member of the community. Helen spent most of her life on the farm located near Benalto in Central Alberta. Her career choices might have been as a teacher or nurse but she chose to stay on the farm. Many people in the area were of Finnish background including Helen, who was fluent in Finn. She corresponded with relatives in Finland and helped host them on their visit to Alberta one summer during the 1980's. Helen married Howard Johnson in 1945. Both Helen and Howard were reared from pioneering families: the Niemelas and the Johnsons (Mukkalas) who settled in this area in the early 1900's. These families and their parents before them were the first people to break the land for farming in this area. Through perseverance, dedication and hard work they left behind a legacy that was the cornerstone for successful farming and community life we enjoy today. Howard Johnson predeceased Helen in April, 1973. For more than thirty years thereafter, Helen continued to enjoy life in the same house which still stands today, nearly one hundred years after its construction. Helen will be remembered by her cheerful, upbeat nature. She always had time to stop what she was doing to receive visitors who would "drop in" sometimes to spend the night unannounced. Helen kept the coffee pot on and meals and goodies on hand for the many visitors she entertained while on the farm. Her kitchen and appliances were basic but meals and home-baked goods were second to none. She will be remembered especially by all the children, now grown, she influenced and helped raise with loving care. We were all Helen's children, even as some of us now approach our fifties and sixties. Helen was sociable and good at conversation about any topic, keeping up with the times as they changed. She had a good memory and always showed great interest in what we had to say and in what we were doing. Helen was a woman who thought and behaved like a much younger person and was youthful in her appearance. Helen's legacy will be carried forward from today into the future. She was and will remain a mentor to many in how she lived her life. From her simple background, she is a person not to be forgotten and because of her life skills is one of the "most successful people" that we have known. This loving tribute to Helen Johnson is from her nephew Walter Johnson, his wife Gail and children, Monica Johnson and her husband Paul Saathof and Marnie Johnson who will miss her dearly.