Eunice Elaine Williams Johnson

Eunice Elaine Williams Johnson died peacefully at Retreat Doctors' Hospital on March 26, 2016, from complications following a stroke. Mrs. Johnson was born on January 16, 1924, in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the youngest daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson Williams and Ida Lavina Ward Williams. Her brother Lawrence Emerson Williams and sister Frances Evelyn Williams Shockley predeceased her. She was also predeceased by her beloved husband of 68 years, Col. Jesse Henry Johnson. Mrs. Johnson graduated from Western High School in Baltimore in 1941. After graduation, she moved to West Point, New York, to be near her childhood sweetheart, Jesse, while he attended the U.S. Military Academy. During this time, she worked in the academy's physics department as well as for the First National Bank of Highland Falls. She and Jesse were married on June 9, 1945, following his graduation from West Point and they began their exciting life journey. Over the next 30 years, Mrs. Johnson traveled with her husband, by then an officer in the U.S. Air Force, across Europe and the United States with stays in Germany, England, Sweden and France. During 17 of those 30 years, Mrs. Johnson bore six children: three boys and three girls. Following Col. Johnson's retirement in 1975, the family settled in Alexandria, Virginia, where they stayed for the next eight years. Once the children were grown, the couple decided to restore an old house in Winchester, Virginia, where they lived for the next 12 years before getting "sand in their shoes" once again. The Johnsons would spend the period from 1995 to 2011 in search of their next "orders," building houses and moving between Winchester and Williamsburg, Virginia, before finally settling in Richmond, Virginia, to be close to family. A wife and mother first, Mrs. Johnson's priority was always family. She loved gatherings with her ever-expanding family but also looked forward to quietly sipping port with her husband in the evening. Ever the bargain-hunter, Mrs. Johnson enjoyed shopping for great deals and decorating her many houses to make them "cutesy" and "homey." Constantly searching for the next adventure, she was an energetic spirit to the end. Mrs. Johnson is survived by her six children and their spouses, all of whom reside in Virginia: Jo Ann (Jody) Johnson Lewis and Russell Lewis of Fredericksburg, Jess Alexander Johnson and Drema Johnson of Arlington, Jay Alan Johnson and Susan Johnson of Richmond, Jan Adrian Johnson Kost and Richard Kost of Richmond, Jill Adair Johnson Martin and Eric Martin of Chesapeake and John Andrew Johnson and Beverly Goldblatt of Annandale. She also leaves behind 13 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Relatives and friends may call at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, on Saturday, April 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Eunice Johnson's honor may be made to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, 4217 Park Place Court, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060-9979, or online at https://donatenow.heart.org/. Funeral service at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel on Friday, September 30, 2016 at 3 PM, followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery, and a luncheon afterwards.

Tributes

Eunice Elaine Williams Johnson

January 16, 1924 - March 26, 2016