Sophia Elizabeth (Betty) Risko Johnson
Sophia Elizabeth (Betty) Risko was born in East Norwalk on April 29, 1922 to John B. and Theresa Katona Risko and passed into God's hands on November 25, 2019 at Autumn Lake Healthcare in Norwalk. A 67 year resident of Wilton, she moved there in 1950 with her husband, Clinton G. Johnson of Wilton, who she had married on January 6, 1946 after he returned from service in World War II and a rehabilitation stay in the VA Hospital in Louisville, KY.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her three older sisters: Teresa R. Nau of Miami, FL, Yolanda Risko of Norwalk and Eda Grand Pre of Wilton. She is survived by her daughter Nancy E. Johnson of Santa Fe, NM and many nieces and nephews including Paul Grand Pre of Hamilton, MA, Eugene Grand Pre of Brownville, NY, Raymond Nau of Indian Harbour Beach, FL, Christine Pasiakos of Norwalk, Ann Ignacio of Highland Falls, NY, Stanley Fox of Calais, ME and Anthony Fox of Plymouth, MA.
A member of East Avenue Methodist Church for 18 years, she taught Sunday School and was married there and she then became a member of Zion's Hill United Methodist Church in Wilton for the next 66 years. At ZHUMC, she was an active participant in many activities including the Women's Guild, taught Sunday School, and worked both the annual Strawberry Festival and the semi-annual Rummage Sale.
A 1939 graduate of Norwalk High School, where she participated in many of the girls' sports teams, she was a member of her class's reunion committee for over 60 years.
After high school, she worked for the Hat Corporation of America, the Personal Finance Company and Nash Engineering from 1943-49. During this time, she married Clinton Johnson (who she had met at a dance at the Cannon Grange in Wilton in 1941.) He also worked at Nash Engineering until 1948. After he graduated from the Bulova School for Watchmaking in Woodside, Queens, the couple opened C G Johnson Jewelers in the red "corn crib" in Crossways in Wilton on January 2, 1953. The store remained at Crossways but moved in to one of the stores behind the corn crib in 1958. In 1966, the store moved to 25 Center Street (now known as 101 Old Ridgefield Road that is home to the Wilton Chamber of Commerce) and was there until her husband's death in 1973. She continued to operate the store until mid-1974, when it was sold to another Wilton jeweler.
After her husband's death, she worked for Richardson Merrill (then Vicks), while they were still based in New York City and then after they moved to the office park on Westport Road. She retired in 1987 as the secretary for the Senior VP of the Human Resources Department.
Betty was always very active as a volunteer. In the 1950's, she served as a "lunch lady" on Thursdays at Post Elementary, Center and Comstock schools. She led brownie and girl scout troops and spent one spring as the town's Girl Scout Cookie Chair. She then volunteered for the Southwestern CT Girl Scout Council office, then in Cannondale.
She was a member of Cannon Grange from 1974 until 2012, where she served as Secretary and Treasurer for many years and participated in running the annual Grange Fair. She was a volunteer at Norwalk Hospital in the mid-1970's, worked Red Cross blood drives in mid-Fairfield County from 1975 – 2010, served as an Election Day poll worker for 20 years, did kindergarten registration and was on the Bald Hill Cemetery Board from 1980 – 2014. Betty also was a charter member of Norwalk Wilton AARP #3929, serving as President from 1994 – 1996, and then was one of 3 delegates from Connecticut to the AARP annual meeting in 1994.
From 1990 to about 2013, Betty volunteered with the Visiting Nurse and Hospice of (now) Fairfield County in their business office. A strong believer in senior housing, she was one of the original petition signers for what became Wilton Commons and one of the original tenants in 2013.
In 2009, Betty was honored by the Volunteer Action Center of Mid-Fairfield County for her work with RSVP NEON (Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now) and in 2010, she was honored with the President's Call to Service Award as one of 11 volunteers in the Norwalk-Wilton area who had provided over 40,000 hours of Community Service to the local area's non-profits.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 21 at Zion's Hill United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. Arrangements have been entrusted to Bouton Funeral Home in Georgetown. Donations in Betty's memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse and Hospice Program, 22 Danbury Road, Wilton 06897 or www.visitingnurse.net or to the Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton 06897. To offer the family online condolences, please visit www.boutonfuneralhome.com.