WAKEFIELD, Mich. - Kathleen "Kay" Alicia Johnson, 91, triumphed over death and entered her eternal home on May 4, 2017, at the Gogebic Medical Care Facility in Wakefield, where she had been a resident since 2011.
Kay was born to Robert and Agnes Marriott on Feb. 13, 1926, in Yorkshire County, England. Her family later moved to Ecchinswell, Hampshire, England, where she lived until coming to the United States.
She was the second youngest of six girls. A brother died in childhood.
Colleen Herbert is her only surviving sibling. She has many nieces and nephews residing in England. She is also survived by her daughter, Jane (Mark) Morrow, of Waupaca, Wis .; and sons, Timothy (Pamela) Aho, of Loveland Colo., Paul (Sue) Aho, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., and Jason (Stephanie) Johnson, of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Kay's other daughter, Cosette, passed away at age 7 months during heart surgery.
She is survived also by grandchildren, Kevin (Emily) Morrow, and 4-month-old Ansel Morrow, of Madison, Wis., Megan Morrow and her daughter, Harper, of Milwaukee, Jacqueline (Anthony) Ramos and children Bianca, Aubry and Samantha, Justin, Nicholas and Natalie Aho, all of Florida, and Joshua (Tiffany) Aho and Angela Aho, of Greeley, Colo.
Surviving stepchildren include Rene (John) Pearson, of Wrenshall, Minn., Cindy (Warren) Johnson, Vicky (Dan) Finco, Marcy (Phil Cook) Elsemore, all of Ironwood, and Julie (Fred) Lund, of North Carolina. She has 10 stepgrandchildren; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Kay married John Aho, of Anvil Location, on June 15, 1948. They met in England during World War II. They later divorced.
On Nov. 4, 1978, Kay married William Johnson, of Bessemer. He preceded her in death on Feb. 24, 2013. They both resided at the Gogebic Medical Care Facility in Wakefield. At the ages of 60 and 53, Bill and Kay lovingly began raising Kay's grandson, Jason, who they later adopted. Jason returned to Wakefield from Florida in 2007, allowing them to live at home for many years.
Kay has many fond memories of her youth in England. At age 16, she lied about her age to gain entrance into the Women's Land Army. While being a "Land Girl," she worked on an experimental dairy. She loved driving a David Brown tractor and often worked for 12 to 14 hours a day. The British government, within the past five years, recognized the great contribution that the WLA paid to the war effort by giving each member a special commendation.
After becoming a U.S. citizen, Kay stayed at home raising her children until the early 1960s, when she received a high school equivalency diploma and then took a correspondence course through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in dental assisting. She worked for Dr. Victor Bigford at his dental clinic in Wakefield for approximately 10 years. During that time, she became proficient at dental lab procedures.
Kay was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Bessemer, and later after the merger of churches, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Ramsay. She taught Sunday School for 40 years, often writing many of the Christmas programs. She was also a very active member of Lutheran Women's Missionary League. She held several local and North Wisconsin District offices for LWML. The work she did at church in helping to extend the kingdom of God was her greatest joy. She loved children, especially the "naughty ones."
Kay will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren and many friends who knew that they could always count on her when they needed help or just an encouraging word. Papa Bill called her Queen and she truly was the Queen of hearts to all who knew her.
Kay's family would like to thank the staff at GMCF for the wonderful care she received at their facility.
The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday May 9, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Ramsay. Rev. Steve Hyvonen will officiate. Kay's family will receive relatives and friends one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday. Burial will be in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Bessemer. A luncheon will follow in the fellowship hall.
Range Funeral Service, Frick-Zielinski Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. To send online condolences, visit rangefuneralservices.com.