Mary Elizabeth Johnson

1934 - 2025

Mary Elizabeth Johnson

January 14, 1934 - March 24, 2025

Columbia, South Carolina - Mary Elizabeth Kyle Johnson ascended to the Eternal Kingdom on March 24, 2025, joining her beloved husband, oldest son, youngest daughter, and numerous other loved ones. Born Jan.14, 1934, in Rutledge, TN, she was the last of Mack and Lucille Kyle's eight children. She soon became a star pupil at the town's one-room schoolhouse for African American children and young adults, often helping much older students with their studies. Because the school only went to the 8th grade, she left home at age 14 to attend high school, then secretarial college in Morristown, TN.

Wanting much more out of life than what was available in a small town in the Smoky Mountains, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she found a clerical position with Jewish War Veterans. At a casual get together in D.C., she found the love of her life--George E. Johnson--a young Army soldier from South Carolina stationed at Fort Mead, MD. They married on Feb. 4, 1956, and moved to Fort Bragg, NC, where their daughters Rene and Helena were born. The family was then stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, where their family grew with the births of son George, Jr. and daughter Sandra. Their next duty station was Ft. Campbell, KY, where the addition of son Ronald and daughter Margaret completed the family.

Following George Sr.'s harrowing deployment to Vietnam, he and Mary decided that Columbia, SC, was a good place to raise their kids. What began with volunteering at her kids' elementary school led to a long career in education. As a paraprofessional teacher, she helped countless children before retiring from Fort Jackson's Greg Circle Elementary. Despite the demands of being a wife and working mother, Mary diligently served at her church that was Eastwood Baptist before becoming Hope Baptist. She did everything from leading a women's Sunday School class to assisting in running a program that provided backpacks of food to low-income kids. Her love of children extended to her volunteering as a guardian ad litum for over ten years, advocating for children in DSS custody.

An adventurer at heart, Mary enjoyed traveling, especially after she and George bought an RV. She called it her second home and it truly was as she and her family camped all over America and into Canada, teaching her children about different cultures and an appreciation for God's creations. Through this and countless other ways, she instilled in them a love for God and a desire to make a positive difference in the world. She considered her children and 68 years of marriage to her sweetheart as among her greatest achievements.

When reading Proverbs 31's description of a virtuous woman, you will read about Mary Elizabeth Kyle Johnson. Compassionate, wise, faithful, trustworthy, and generous---these were just a few of her wonderful qualities. She was a source of unconditional love, unwavering faith, and fearless hope and will be greatly missed.

She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Hugh "Rass" Kyle, Eugene "Tobe" Kyle, James "Fez" Kyle, Mack "June" Kyle, Jr., Sam Kyle, and Edward "Pud" Kyle; sister Edna Kyle Easley, husband George E. Johnson, Sr., son George E. Johnson, Jr., and daughter Margaret Johnson Winston. She is survived by daughters Rene Johnson Simon, Helena Johnson, and Sandra Johnson, and son Ronald ( Nadine) Johnson; granddaughters Nicole ( Al) Rankin, Ashley Monroe, Rachel (Will) McInnis, and Mary Elizabeth Johnson; grandsons Earnest Miles Simon and Edward "Mac" Johnson; great grandsons Xavier Comer and Theophilus Davis, III; great granddaughters Alana Davis, Brooklyn Rankin, and London Davis, best friend Janie ( Ed) Phillips, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and cherished friends.