Johnson, Violet I. (Johnson)
Of Plymouth and Yarmouth, formerly of Belmont and Milton, died March 25, 2010, less than 2 weeks before her 100th birthday. Beloved wife of the late Harold L. Johnson, she was the cherished mother of Doris M. Johnson of Plymouth, Barbara J. Gottling of Cincinnati and the late Nancy Lee Stevens of North Andover. She was born in Cleburne, Kansas on April 7, 1910, the last of 13 children born to Gustav and Hildur Carolina Johnson, who immigrated from Sweden to Quincy, Mass.; she outlived all her siblings. She was noted for the many beautiful quilts she created for each of her daughters, 17 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. Stuffed toys, pillows and garments also delighted her family. Wherever she lived, she created beautiful gardens. While attending Quincy High School, she was an aide at the city’s Thomas Crane Library; after moving to Belmont with her children in school, she was a librarian for many years at the Newton Free Library. She was generous with her time as volunteer in various community organizations, from church groups to years as a Girl Scout troup leader. With her husband, she traveled throughout the US and Mexico, with extended trips to many European countries, as well as Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Nepal. She enjoyed her Swedish Christmas cooking as well as experimenting with recipes collected during her travels, such as Japanese shrimp tempura and dishes using Vietnamese fish sauce and Indonesian peanut sauce. A celebration of her life will begin at 12:30 Sunday, April 11th at Christ Church, 149 Court St, Plymouth. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Violet's name to a public library of your choice or your favorite charity.