AGAWAM – Rita C. (Fleming) Johnson, 95, of Quail Run in Agawam was Called Safely Home on Thursday, February 7, 2013. She passed into Eternal Life at Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family and her wonderful caregivers. She was born in Springfield on October 22, 1917, a beloved daughter of the late James and Pauline (Trapp) Fleming. She was raised on Littleton Street in the Hungry Hill section of Springfield, graduated from Cathedral High School and lived in the city for many years. Rita furthered her education and graduated in 1939 as a Registered Nurse from the New Britain General Hospital School of Nursing in New Britain, Connecticut. Rita began her long career as a Registered Nurse as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Nurse Corps and to the end of her life was extremely proud of her service to her country during World War II as an army officer and later as a Red Cross Nurse. She received the American Defense Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. While stationed at Fort Adams in Rhode Island, she met her future husband, Lieutenant Gilbert J. Johnson. Fate and the Army transferred them to the Presidio in San Francisco, where they were married at the Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral on April 11, 1942. After being separated by the war, they settled in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield and began raising their five children. Rita’s beloved husband, Gilbert was Called Home on June 8, 1971 after only 29 years of happiness together. Rita however, had a long successful professional career as a Registered Nurse during a time when the workforce offered no accommodations for working mothers. She retired after 25 years at the former Springfield Municipal Hospital. Following her retirement, Rita surprised her children by traveling extensively and boasted how she visited Hawaii before any of them. She was an avid Red Sox fan and was able to cite the most obscure statistics about how a player performed in any given situation. During her leisure time, she loved bingo and was always open for a trip to the casino and she always made her annual trip with her brother Richard and his wife, Marie to Las Vegas. She leaves her devoted children, Gilbert J. “Gil” Johnson and his wife, Susanne, of Naples, FL, Ret. Lt. Col. Michael T. Johnson, United States Army and his wife, Kay, of Harker Heights, TX, Mark C. Johnson and his wife, Pat, of Colleyville, TX, Jeffrey J. Johnson and his wife, Judy, of Stratham, NH and Kaaren J. O’Neil and her husband, John, of East Longmeadow; her seven cherished grandchildren who affectionately called her “grammy”, Kristin Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Faith Johnson-Moore and her husband, Jeff, Lauren Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Colin O’Neil and Matthew O’Neil; her dear brothers, Bernard Fleming and his wife, Dot, of Hyannis, MA, and Richard Fleming of Longmeadow; and her many dear nephews and nieces. Besides her parents and husband, Rita was predeceased by her dear brothers, William and James Fleming; and her dear sister, Helen “Nonie” Girard. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday morning, February 13, 2013 beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Springfield Chapels, (413-737-1177), 7 Chapin Terrace, Springfield, MA 01107, (funeral home will open at 8:30 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in Saint Michael Church, 110 Maple Street, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Her Committal Service with Military Honors will follow the Mass at 1 p.m. in the Chapel at the Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday morning, February 13, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. before the Mass. Her family has requested that memorial donations be made in her memory to the Shriners Hospital for Children, (Please specify Springfield), 516 Carew Street, Springfield, MA 01104. For more details, please visit:www.stpierrephaneuf.com