Ruth Ann Johnson 1917-2011
Ruth Ann Johnson 1917-2011
Ruth Ann Strohecker Johnson, 94, died Nov. 30, 2011 in
Eagle, ID. Ruth Ann was born on April 18, 1917 in an isolated farmhouse in Bernice,
ID. Five weeks after her birth, her father John Strohecker, a mechanical engineer, died in a mining accident in Keystone,
Montana, just days before he had planned to be reunited with his wife, Zoe, and
meet his baby girl.
For most of her childhood Ruth Ann lived in a farmhouse
without electricity, indoor plumbing or a phone. She roamed the 160-acre farm
always accompanied by a dog or two. The dogs were to protect her from coyotes
but with few children in the area and no siblings these animals were often her
only playmates.
Ruth Ann rode a pony to the two-room school house a mile and
a half from her home. She also attended school in St. Anthony, Idaho and
Garfield, Washington. She did so well in school, she skipped the fifth grade.
When she was 11 her mom remarried and they moved to Howe, ID. She attended high
school in Garfield, Washington and Logan, Utah.
While attending the College of Idaho she met Harold Johnson.
Together they enjoyed going to movies and football games and roller skating
around the streets of Caldwell. They were married Sept. 15
,
1939.
Harold and Ann (as he called her) enjoyed more than 50 years
of marriage. They raised their son and daughter: Kay and Zoe (Farnsworth) in
Boise. The two shared a love of the outdoors which they passed on to their
children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Together they built cabins
McCall, Donnelly and Cascade. Later in life when Harold developed diabetes Ann
(as he called her) channeled her cooking skills to preparing him healthy and
delicious meals. Harold died in 1993 of colon cancer.
Even in her later years her Ruth Ann was active both
physically and mentally. She played tennis in until she was 85 made many
beautiful hooked rugs, and she loved, loved, reading—especially mysteries. In
2004, Ruth Ann moved to Sandy, Utah to live with her daughter Zoe. After Zoe’s
death in 2009 she returned to the Boise area where she was lovingly cared for
by her son Kay. She is preceded in death by her father, mother, husband and
daughter. She leaves behind her son, 8 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
A celebration of Ruth Ann’s life for family and friends will
be held at 4 PM December 11
th
at Rembrandt’s in Eagle, Idaho.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Idaho
Humane Society or the Ada Community Library.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ruth Ann Johnson 1917-2011, please visit our flower store.
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