Anna Lea Johnson

Click on the tribute wall above to view Anna Lea's video tribute. Johnson, Anna Lea. Age 84. July 15, 2020. Formerly of River Rouge, MI. Beloved wife of the late Roy Johnson. Loving mother of Judy Ann (David, Jr.) Morris and Vanessa Howe. Proud grandma of Kristina Price, Steven Howe (Stefanie Kulchar), Shawn (Milena) Howe, David Morris, III (Lauren Wynn), Megan (Phillip) Vanwasshenova, Tabitha (Andrew) Lovenduski and great grandma of Brendan Howe, Brianna Howe, John Howe, Liam Vanwasshenova and Madeline Morris. Memorial contributions in memory of Anna Lea’s life may be made to Walk for Wishes. A lifetime of memories, laughter, and love … Our special angel will now guide us with Papa from Heaven above. While my heart is broken to no longer have her here with us, I know my Grandma Anna Johnson is right where she longed to be … reunited with my Grandpa in Heaven. They shared a love unlike any I’ve ever known … or probably ever will for that matter. Their story is special … and one that I love to share. My grandparents married on their 3rd date. She was from Kentucky, and he grew up in Arkansas. After finding a job and moving to Michigan, Papa decided to go on a short trip with a friend to visit the friend’s family in Kentucky. During that trip, he was introduced to my spunky little grandma. As love at first sight goes … this is as close as one can get. They continued to communicate from afar, and he went to visit her again. On his 3rd trip in 1957 … They were married and returned to Michigan together to settle in River Rouge. They expanded their little family when they had my mother Judy in 1958, followed by my aunt Vanessa in 1959. Grandkids and even great-grandkids would follow over the years. It was a short courtship … followed by a life-time of love and family. Grandma and Papa were married for 59 years before his passing. They lived each and every day for each other and their family. Spending time with family is what they both loved the most. Their vacations consisted of going back south to see their relatives. They were both from very large families. They lived miles away and truly looked forward to visiting. They treasured those visits, and I was lucky enough to even join them on a few. Gram’s driving was always comical, as well as her road-rage. She was very heavy on the breaks. However, the worst I’d ever heard her say when angry at another driver was, “You old dummy!” She told us months ago that she was going to get her driver’s license again … which made us all a little nervous! Every special moment of my childhood … My grandparents were there. They were so proud of all of us and relished in each and every special occasion. They attended every Birthday party, performance, baseball game, dance recital, play, or special event. Graduations were also a very big deal, because they felt so strongly about education. Grammy always said she wished she could sit in my classroom all day and just watch me teach “those kids!” Each child and grandchild was proudly displayed in pictures throughout their house. Grammy also had her little “brag book photo albums” that traveled with her. She would tell everyone about all of us and show our photos. While they loved us so very much, there was never a day that we didn’t know that they also still adored each other. We have so many photos of them holding hands, or sharing a kiss. As a little girl there were lots of, “Ewww” moments. Yet as an adult, I loved how much they loved each other. While my Grandpa was a very quiet and reserved person, showing affection for my Grandma was something he did proudly. They were always so cute walking hand in hand … as he was over 6 feet tall and she stood at just 5 foot 1 “and a half!” She was adamant about including that “half inch” which always made me giggle. Grandma was a tiny lady … with a larger than life personality. While my Grandpa was a quiet man … My Grandma loved to laugh, joke around, had no filter, and didn’t mind being the center of attention. My mom always had a hard time taking a serious photo of her. Right before she snapped it, Gram would make a funny face, open her mouth wide, or do something to crack everyone up. There are several silly-faced photos of her, my brother, and sister. She always had such a fun-loving spirit. When she’d be in the hospital and a nurse wouldn’t come fast enough, Grammy would be known to let out a whistle that could be heard all the way down the hall. Grammy was so witty her entire life. Even when dementia settled in … she would have her moments of clarity … which would lead to a clever comment that would have us all laughing. She was so good at delivering a punch line! I always told her she was feisty, and I believe that is the way she lived her life. Even in the assisted-living facility, I’d always give her a hug and kiss before I left. Then I’d say, “I love you Gram. You be good.” It was our little joke, as she’d always reply, “I love you too … and I’m always good!” Then, she’d wink or make a face and start laughing. From a child through being an adult, Gram was what we’d call a “spit-fire.” Her personality made up for her short stature for sure. She told me a story once of when she was young. She was petite and one of the boys at school always called her “spider.” She hated that nickname. So, one day it was her turn to give a report. The teacher called her up. As she walked by, the boy whispered, “Go ahead spider.” Gram then took her heavy book and smacked him in the back of the head with it. She’d tell this story and still laugh. She said her teacher said to her, “Lord Anna Lea, Don’t hit him in the head. He doesn’t have enough sense as is!” Grammy always had a strong spirit. She did what she liked and would tell you what she thought. As her family, we never knew what she was going to say sometimes. She definitely kept us all on our toes … in the very best way. Grammy had many talents and always kept herself busy over the years. She was the head of the PTA when mom and aunt Ness were little. She sold Avon … well enough to put my mom through high-school at Inner-City. Mom and Ness can tell you stories about her having them advertise all of their different colored fingernails. She drove a bus with special-needs children for a school. She loved that job and those kids. When I was small, she’d let me go with her if I didn’t have school. She was so kind and gentle with the kids she picked up. She was also a talented quilt-maker and seamstress. Grammy made so many of our Halloween costumes. She never had to use a pattern … She’d just look … measure and figure it out. Cooking was also something she excelled at. Gram could make anything. Her casserole was and still is a family holiday tradition. I remember loving her mashed potatoes, because they had lumps! Another favorite was ribbon-jello. I didn’t realize until I was an adult, just how long that took her to make. Yet, all we’d have to do was say the word and she would be getting the ingredients ready. Grammy always made cornbread for Papa and me. She’d also make a pan, wrap it in foil, and hand it to me at holiday dinners. She’d say, “Go hide this for later. I made it for you.” She also had a cupboard in the entertainment center filled with all of her grandkids’ favorite treats. She always kept it stocked. Making her family happy was something Grammy loved to do. She made beautiful doll cakes, sewed care bears, painted ceramic pieces, and created so many other things out of love. Gram was also an avid reader. She’d read her books and then share them with her friends, so they could enjoy them too. She and my grandpa also really took pride in gardening. They both had amazing green thumbs. Anything they planted grew beautifully. Grammy could tell you the name of any plant, tree, or flower just by looking at it. She would then give you the directions for how to best take care of it. She and Papa could sit for hours on their front porch looking at the flowers, listening to the birds, and wondering where the planes were going. She would always point them out and tell Papa she wished they were on that plane going somewhere. Grammy always made sure to be fair about things … especially Christmas. Each girl always received some form of jewelry. The boys would get a watch or wallet, and she’d always include some kind of fun character socks for me. She had a set amount for what she spent on everyone … and made sure it was down to the exact dollar. One year, she had a few extra dollars left over and decided she would be funny. She bought and wrapped two cases of Coca Cola for my mom and aunt. Then, she wrapped up a box of mason jars filled with sweet pickles that she had canned for me. She laughed when we opened them and thought it was so funny. Little did she know though, that those sweet pickles that she took the time to make meant the most to me … and I enjoyed each and every jar. Anyone who knew Grammy would tell you that she absolutely loved her jewelry. That is the only thing she ever wanted for holidays and she always received it too. It’s funny, because Papa didn’t ever shop himself. Instead, he’d call one of us girls into the room and tell us Grammy wanted a certain kind of jewelry. Then, he’d pull out his wallet and give us the money to go and get it for him. We’d go and buy it, wrap it, and tell her it was from Papa. Then she’d make over it and tell him how much she loved it. This happened every year. He truly loved her and would have given her anything she asked for. Papa spoiled Grammy, but she spoiled him right back. Papa would often stay home when the girls went out somewhere. Grammy would always call him to check in and then again on the way home to see what he’d like her to bring him to eat. We’d always laugh because we’d know his response would be, “Whatever you’d like to bring me Mom.” She never went home without taking him something. They so loved each other, and to be honest she was lost without him when he left this world. From that moment on, though she loved us, she longed to be back with him. She was ready to go … and to be back with Papa. I know my grandparents are so very happy being reunited with each other and so many other family members. My heart is truly broken ... but I take solace in knowing that their love story lives on in Heaven ... and in all of us too. Grandparents are such special people. I would have preferred to keep both of them with me forever ... but I know they will still be with us all, and I’m thankful for the memories and moments we shared. We’ll be keeping an eye out for signs from our very "Special Angels." Rest in Heaven Grammy ... and give Papa a hug from us too. Love you both more than you could ever know. <3 Contributions in memory of Anna Lea's life may be made to the Walk For Wishes