A
lady, highly respected by the community and dearly beloved by her
immediate family and a wide circle of less intimate relatives,
passed peacefully away since our last issue, in the person of Mrs.
Richard Johnson.
On the Tuesday evening
previous, Mrs. Johnson suffered, at an interval of half an hour, two
very severe cerebral hemorrhages, resulting in her passing into a
coma from which she did not emerge, death intervening on Sunday,
towards the close of the afternoon. The deceased lady was in her
71st year.
Mrs. Johnson was one of the
two daughters of the
late James Finch of Charlotteville, her sister being
Mrs. Helena Palmerton of Simcoe.
She became the wife of Mr.
Johnson almost 50 years ago. To them were born five sons and one
daughter. The latter is Mrs. Fred T. Brook, whose home adjoins the
Johnson residence of Norfolk Street South.
Four of the five sons, viz.,
James, Elgin, Bruce and Harvey, live in Simcoe, and are heads of
families. They and their father are associated together as specialty
farmers and in fruit growing.
The oldest son, James,
enjoys a national reputation as the originator and manager of
Canada's largest co-operative apple-growers' association. The second
son, Oscar, is a prosperous manufacturer in Rockland, Ill.
Mrs. Johnson's mother, Mrs.
Finch, in her 92nd year, also survives, to mourn the loss of a
loving daughter's care.
Mrs. Johnson was an
unobtrusive but valued member of the Baptist Church here.
Her pastor, Rev. H. C.
Newcombe, assisted by Rev. J. B. Moore of Waterford, conducted a
short memorial service at the family residence on Friday afternoon
prior to interment in the family plot in Oakwood Cemetery.
The male quartette of St.
James Church choir lent impressiveness to the occasion by their
finished rendering of "Lead Kindly Light." The flowers
were particularly beautiful. The large attendance was a striking
tribute to the deceased and her family.
The pall-bearers were
Messrs. H. H. Groff, J. B. Jackson, W. P. Price, H. B. Donly, A. E.
Culver, J. Alex. Wallace.
The sympathy of the
community is universal for Mr. Johnson, so suddenly and unexpectedly
bereft of his life's partner.
