Mary Jane Smith Johnson

Mary Jane Smith Johnson passed away in her daughter's embrace on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at the age of 83. Mary Jane was born on April 10, 1928, in Garden City, Missouri, to Elizabeth Stair Smith and Robert C. Smith. She was baptized in St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Harrisonville, whose organizers in the mid-1800's included her great-great-grandparents, Edmund and Margaret Burke, immigrants from England. Family lore holds that the Burkes arrived in Missouri one day late to catch their stagecoach to California. When word reached them that the passengers on their missed coach perished in an Indian ambush, they wisely settled in the Kansas City area. Mary Jane followed her father's path and attended William Jewell College, a Baptist college in Liberty, Missouri. Those who knew her spunky spirit will not be surprised to learn that she received a grade of "F" in her mandatory Bible Study Class for refusing to yield in her interpretations of the textbook. Mary Jane married fellow classmate, the late Francis Bradford Johnson, known as Pete, in August of 1948. Early in their marriage they briefly lived in Charleston, New York, and Chicago, before returning to Liberty to raise their growing family. Mary Jane was a rare breed in the 1950's - a working mother. She never failed to roll up her sleeves and do whatever was needed to help provide for her family. From painting the house inside and out to sewing the curtains and children's clothing, she did it all. Ever a friend to animals, the household was a haven for three neighborhood basset hounds whose daily visits wore a path in the grass to the backdoor; other assorted strays always found a welcoming home with Mary Jane. She was also known for her culinary skills, especially when it came to feeding a family on a tight budget. Mary Jane's skillful management strategies were the focus of a feature article in The Liberty Tribune newspaper. She was a wonderful teacher who served the Liberty Public Schools for many years as a valued substitute teacher. Mary Jane moved to El Paso, Texas, in 1969 when Pete joined Farah Manufacturing Company as a Vice-President of Merchandising. Her green thumb was put to use as she transformed a barren desert yard into a landscape massed with flowers and ornamental trees. In 1977 they moved to Pete's home state of Virginia when he joined the Imperial Reading Corporation in Lynchburg. Mary Jane later described their years in Virginia as the most enjoyable time of their lives together. She had a large vegetable garden, volunteered with her church guild, and played with the Ladies' Golf Association at Boonsboro Country Club. Weekends were frequently spent on their houseboat at Smith Mountain Lake in southern Virginia where they enjoyed the company of many friends and their son and daughter-in-law who lived in nearby North Carolina. She had time to follow her passions for needlework, history, and nature. Mary Jane and Pete loved exploring historical sites on the Eastern seaboard as well as vacationing on Hilton Head Island. Visits from her Texas grandsons were filled with trips to the seashore, Williamsburg, Kitty Hawk, and other important sites in American history. Following Pete's retirement in 1990, they sacrificed dreams of exotic retirement locations and moved to Little Rock to assist in the raising of their disabled granddaughter and her newborn sister. In Little Rock they joined St. Mark's Episcopal Church and later Christ Church in downtown Little Rock. Mary Jane and Pete volunteered as a team at Our House, and Mary Jane assisted Betty Wooten in the library at The Cathedral School. Although Mary Jane passed her love of animals to all of her grandchildren, she was able to share it daily with her youngest granddaughter. Together they shared a cat and a dog, and eventually, horses. Both the dog and the granddaughter would occasionally decline to return home from their visits with their beloved grandmother. Mary Jane and Pete made two road trips each year to North Carolina, never missing a Grandparents' Day at their grandson's school. When Mary Jane and Pete both developed neurological diseases, they became the first residents of the Fox Ridge at Chenal Senior Living Center in Little Rock. They delighted in the social activities led by Brenda Jeeter and were enthusiastic participants. Mary Jane's dry wit made her a favorite among residents and staff alike. She especially enjoyed the last party she attended on December 8, when she feasted on Chef Cody's delicious hors d' oeuvres and shared a heartfelt hug with Santa, aka CFO and Administrator Murry Reagor. Mary Jane and Pete were blessed to spend the last stages of their lives at Fox Ridge. The compassionate generosity and loving care of the entire staff enriched their final days. The ministry of special caregivers Mary Booth, Carolyn Sullivan, and most especially Mary Ashby and Donna Clary was a gift beyond measure to Mary Jane. Mary Jane's physician, Geriatrician and Palliative Care Specialist Dr. Kimberly Curseen of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at UAMS, and her colleagues provided compassionate and thoughtful care to ease her journey. We are grateful to the staff of Arkansas Hospice and Fox Ridge, who made it possible for Mary Jane to remain comfortable in her home until her passing. Mary Jane's survivors include three children and their families: Michael Bradford Johnson of Greensboro, North Carolina, and his wife Marianne, a beloved third daughter to her, and their son Robert Bradford Johnson; Karen Elizabeth Johnson Goldthwaite of Ft. Worth, Texas, and her husband James Goldthwaite and sons Christopher James and Tyler Bradford Goldthwaite; and Kimberly Ann Johnson Golden of Little Rock, and her husband William Golden and daughters Emily Jane and Abigail Anne Golden. Mom's legacy to us is not just the gift of life, but a roadmap of how to live it: with grace, kindness, compassion, love, and strength to face whatever circumstances life may lay at our feet. "Start where you are; use what you have; do what you can." Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, or Our House, a ministry for the working homeless among us, through their website at www.ourhouseshelter.org or by mail at Our House, Inc., P.O. Box 34155, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Animal lovers may prefer to help fight world hunger through a donation in Mary Jane's memory to Heifer International at www.heifer.org, or Heifer International, 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, Ark. 72202. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.