Mom was born in Tulsa to Kathrine Welch Burton and E. O. Johnson, MD on November 27, 1941. In her early years, she went to Monte Cassino and Edison High School. She also attended the University of Oklahoma where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Rather than earn her academic degree, Mom gained the affection of a bachelor and departed with her MRS.
Rather than adhering to the traditional party thrown for new pilots, our grandmother opted to buy root beer and candy cigarettes for the all-male classmates. This, of course, probably did not go well because they wanted the real deal. Mom was, however, thrilled to get her shirttail cut!
Our parents met at Riverside Airport where they had adjacent hangars. Dad told us that he noticed this gorgeous blonde arrive in a convertible that stretched a mile long. As she removed her head scarf, Dad sauntered over to "admire her plane." Both being avid pilots, a favorite date entailed lying on their backs at the end of a runway to watch the airplanes land and take off above them. Another form of dating entertainment was to shoot beer cans at the local dump. Dad must have really gone all out to woo his gal. The two of them also participated in numerous fly-ins. Above all, Mom loved the freedom that aviation afforded her.
Mom and Dad were married at St. John Episcopal Church on January 26, 1962. She didn't get the pleasure of changing her last name because she married another Johnson. An old newspaper article noted that the wedding party was comprised almost exclusively by Johnsons.
Our parents were fortunate enough to celebrate sixty years of matrimony.
She was a very proud member of the Ninety-Nines, an all-female aviation club and always held its first president, Amelia Earhart, in high regard. Mom taught Sunday school at St. John Episcopal Church for many years and served as her daughters' troop leader for both Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls. She showed her troops how to make Bunsen burners out of Folgers coffee cans for camping trips, use bamboo sticks as percussion instruments and orchestrated the assembly of homemade pinecone wreaths for the girls' families at Christmas time. Mom and Dad worked together for many years, and she wore many hats in Dad's law office: personal assistant, secretary, scheduler, bookkeeper and general gopher. She certainly made the rounds to court houses all over our fair state.
Always a prankster, Mom would sometimes hang a rubber chicken among Dad's very treasured African animal heads for family Thanksgivings. She waited with great anticipation for someone to notice it. Once the prop was discovered, Mom would let out her characteristic deep, voluminous laugh. She also maintained the tradition of using crazy accessories during the family dinners at our home. Over the years she would add to her prop collection, so the keepsake photos taken by uncle Wally got increasingly funnier as time progressed. These were such fun memories for our immediate family, aunts, uncles and cousins.
One of our most cherished memories from childhood is seeing Mom negotiating with the city sanding crew to not treat our street for snow until we had gotten in more sledding runs with neighbors and friends. Our street was well known for its great sledding.
Sarah is survived by her husband of sixty years, Lawrence A. G. Johnson; her children Kathrine McMahon (David), Courtney Hoff (James Hoff, MD), Kirsten White (Robert), Lawrence Johnson, MD (Stephanie) as well as grandchildren Griffon and Elliott McMahon, Caitlin Hoff Daniels, James Jr., and Lorden Hoff, Sarah Kathrine and Caroline White, and Alexandra and Margaret Tollefsen. Surviving siblings are Dale Johnson (Yong), Karen Curtis (Steve) and Jocie Love (Wally).
Sincere appreciation goes out to the care providers for Mom both in the home and her final residence at the Grove at Midtown. Words alone cannot possibly express our sincere gratitude.
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