Carol Ann Johnson

Carol Ann Johnson went through her life from May 24th, 1926 to January 29th, 2022 with a bold streak, and spent her formative years in Helena, Arkansas. As the second of four children born to Bertha and Paul Williams, Carol remembered being a tomboy growing up, and spending time with her younger brother Paul, mostly daring each other to explore through tiny caves in the foothills, and coming out "oh, definitely alive and fine, but sometimes a little dusty." She continued this bold streak as a teenager, when, feeling envious of her older sister Jean's driving lessons, she stole her parents' car in the middle of the night and taught herself to drive the family Chrysler around Helena.
Later, when she moved with her family back to Michigan, she began work at the Detroit Free Press. While her childhood bold streak continued, keen on becoming a reporter, she took work as an archivist at the Free Press, and found that a young photographer at the paper was always interested in going to the movies with her. His name was Earl Johnson, but he went by "Bud" and he would become the love of her life, though her love of keeping up with the news always stayed too. Carol and Bud married on August 20th, 1949, and then went on to have four children, Paula, Gregory, Susan, and Timothy--reportedly, none of them ever dared each other to crawl through caves, but a car was rumored to have been stolen once or twice.
Carol prided herself on being The World's First Stay-at-Home-Mom and also The Hostess Who Always Had the Mostest, loving nothing more than surrounding herself with family, friends, and loved ones, making sure they had a drink in their hand, a laugh in their heart, and a home cooked meal--her meatloaf was especially beloved. Carol and Bud were known for their close friendships within the communities they lived in, becoming especially close with the Dowdall family, whose son David was Carol's godson. Later in life, she and Bud enjoyed being snowbirds, traveling to Florida with "The Milburn Gang", and became devoted grandparents to Susan's daughters, Regan and Paige. Summertime visits with her girls were spent at the Johnson Lake House, and in her mind, there was nothing better than sitting at her back porch bar with a Bud Light Lime in her hand.
Carol's love of community stayed on well into her life, always being surrounded by a group of neighbors-come-friends-come-family who brought her joy. She was always happy for a visit or a phone call, to play hostess again with a "Well, sit on down and rest your feet!" with her distinct Arkansas twang. These friends continued to bring her Communion to help her keep up her devotion to God and the Catholic faith, helped with getting her to her favorite Kroger for groceries and to doctors' appointments, and gifting baskets of cookies and chocolate to keep Carol's sweet tooth happy.
As we lay Carol to rest, the family would like to thank special friends Georgia and Tom Bingham, Cheryl and Carl Thrushman, Colette and Jim Lintol, Diane and Charlie Burns, and Pat and Bruce Larson, as well as The Butterfly House staff and caretakers for making her comfortable in her final days. Carol was preceded in death by her husband Bud, her sister Jean, and her brother Paul. She leaves behind all four children, Paula (Joseph), Gregory, Susan (Richard), and Timothy, her younger sister Barbara, and her granddaughters Regan and Paige. The family is planning a memorial mass and luncheon in late spring in honor of what would have been her 96th birthday.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Solonus Casey Center at 1780 Mount Elliott St., Detroit, MI 48207 or the American Heart Association.