Catherine L. "Kay" Johnson

Johnson, Catherine L. "Kay" 96 and Columnist, Died Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Christian Community Home where she had lived for the past few months. She was born July 4, 1910, the daughter of Samuel Albert and Harriet (Miller) Rask in Blooming Prairie, Minn., where she attended school and graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1927. From 1927 to 1928 she was a special student at St. Mary's Episcopal School for Girls at Faribault, Minn. She began attending the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as a freshman in the fall of 1928, graduating in 1931 with a Bachelor of Art degree with an English major and minor in speech and French. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota's College of Education the following year and all course credits for a master's degree in English. At the University, she was a member of Delta, Delta, Delta social sorority, Phi Beta Kappa national honor society and honorary fraternities in language and education. From 1932 to 1935 she taught grades 11 and 12 English and Speech at Flandreau (S.D.) High School. On Oct. 26, 1935, she was married to Donald Marvin Johnson at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Owatonna, Minn. They made their home in Minneapolis until 1941 when they moved to Hudson. In 1950 she began working at the Hudson Star-Observer, then owned and edited by the late Clarence J. Reiter. In 1952, the Star-Observer was sold to Yvette H. Ward, wife of millionaire president of Brown & Bigelow, who lived in rural Hudson. Kay Johnson became a fulltime employee at the Star-Observer during Mrs. Ward's ownership and served in many capacities. She wrote news, edited, reported and wrote her popular column "On Petticoat Lane" as a columnist for the next half century. As a reporter for the Star-Observer she covered the Hudson visits of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1959 and 1960. Excerpts from her columns were turned into a book by the St. Croix County Historical Society in 2003, titled, "50 Years On Petticoat Lane". For many years, the family home was at 905 Sixth Street in Hudson. She was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Hudson from 1941 until her death and served its women's organizations, the Questers, sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and served two terms on the vestry. She was also a member of the St. Croix Valley Arts Guild, the Phipps Center for the Arts, the Hudson Women's Club, the Hudson Hospital Auxiliary, the Christian Community Home Auxiliary and its board, the St. Croix County Historical Society, the Great Books reading group, the play reading group and often wrote publicity for these organizations. As a Questers member she directed seven vaudeville-type shows which were fund raisers for church projects. At the Valley Arts Guild and the Phipps Center she was drama coordinator for nine years, was always a member of the drama council and, as drama coordinator, served on the Phipps board of directors for two and a half years. She loved reading, theater and music and traveled widely in Europe, Scandinavia, the Slavic countries, Greece, Russia and China. She retired in 2004. She has been a resident of WinterGreen and the Christian Community Home where she resided at the time of her death. Preceding her in death were her parents, Sam and Harriet Rask; her husband, Donald M. Johnson in 1982 and a daughter, Janeth Taylor in 1995. Survivors are her daughter, Judith W. "Judy" Boysen of Hudson; a son, Donald Rask Johnson of Auburn, Wash.; grandchildren, Catherine (Taylor) Botz (Patrick) of Rochester, Minn., John E. (Lori) Taylor of Hastings, Minn., and Christian Fauchald of Chicago and four great-grandchildren, Ann and Margaret Taylor and Jessica and Andrew Botz. The funeral services will be held 2PM Tuesday January 30th at ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH in Hudson with the Rev. John Rasmus officiating. Burial will be in the Willow River Cemetery in Hudson. Visitation will be on Monday from 5-8PM at the O'CONNELL FAMILY FUNERAL HOME of Hudson & one hour prior to the service at church on Tuesday. Memorials are preferred to St. Paul's Episcopal Church or the Phipps Center for the Arts.