Edna Lois Johnston, 1922-2015
Edna Lois Johnston was born July 19, 1922 in Harrison County, Missouri to Otha and Bertha (White) Bowen. She departed this life on Thursday, August 27, 2015, following a brief illness, in Des Moines, IA. The Bowen family farmed in Harrison County and Edna attended a country school near Pawnee. She worked with her family until she married Elmer Johnston on December 11, 1939 in Bethany, MO. Edna and Elmer began their married life on a farm near Grand River, IA, before moving to the family farm north of Martinsville, MO where they raised their family of 8 children, Karen, Leroy, Larry, Shirley, Eldon, Marilyn, Carolyn and Betty. When Edna married Elmer, she loved his parents and brothers and sisters as her own and always expressed that she had an incredible second family. In 1972 Edna and Elmer sold the farm and moved to Blythedale.
Edna dedicated her life to raising her children. To Edna, the meal did not begin at the table; it began in the garden where she would spend hours planting and tending her garden. When the harvest came she spent hours canning and preserving the crops, and loved giving away what the family couldnât use. With a bountiful harvest and the meat they raised, she cooked and served three meals a day. Homemade bread, noodles, pies, cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and raised donuts were just a few of the family favorites.
Edna was more than a mother; she was constant source of encouragement, wisdom and love for her children and later shared her wisdom and unconditional love with her grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Edna was very close to her children as they were growing up and in the later years she loved receiving calls from them every day. Her last day on earth was spent surrounded by her children sharing memories and stories about how she touched their lives. When Edna left our presence, she joined Elmer, Leroy, Larry and granddaughters Kathy and Jodi and great-granddaughter Stefani in Heaven.
When Edna and Elmer lived in Blythedale she worked at a local café where she was known for her delicious fried chicken and pies. When she was not working or taking care of her family, she enjoyed traveling to see family and friends, gardening, walking, family history, and even embraced the technology of the computer and iPad.
In 1990 they sold the house at Blythedale and moved to an apartment in Bethany, where she continued some of her pastimes of embroidering, walking and preserving family history. Edna and Elmer moved to Carlisle, IA in 1997 to be closer to family. They moved to Des Moines in 2004, first at Wakonda Manor and later Walden Point. She loved spending time with all her family and friends; family reunions and celebrations were the highlight of her life. Edna helped Elmer compose a book of poems and memories called âDown Memory Laneâ.
After Elmerâs death she adjusted well and continued to enjoy the many visits with her family and friends. She faced her death the same way she lived: surrounded by her family and filled with the faith of knowing that God would take care of her.
Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Elmer, parents, Otha and Bertha Bowen, sisters, Doris Parkhurst, Maxine Parkhurst, Jessie Williams, brothers Audrey and Deryle, 2 sons, Leroy and Larry and great granddaughter, Stefani Hamilton, son-in-law, Leonard Hamilton, granddaughters Kathy Hamilton Hatfield and Jodi Hodge Gibson.
Edna is survived by daughters, Karen Hamilton of Leon, IA, Shirley (Kenneth) Barton, of Des Moines, IA, Marilyn (Joe) Hodge of Cairo, MO, Carolyn (Gary) Rebel of Des Moines, IA, Betty (Monte) Tschetter of Des Moines, IA, son, Eldon (Judy) Johnston of Silver Lake, WI, daughters-in-law Lori Johnston of Lodi, CA, Donnella Stanley Johnston Bradley, 13 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, 21 great-great grandchildren, 2 great-great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews that she was extremely close to.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at Roberson Funeral Home, Eagleville, MO. Burial will follow in the Cedar Hill Cemetery, Blythedale, MO. The family will receive friends from 12:30 â 1:30 p.m. prior to the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lighthouse Learning Center of Gallatin, MO in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 46, Eagleville, MO 64442. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com.