Jeanita Elizabeth Johnson

Jeanita “Jean” Johnson was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Walter and Betty (Zak) Hart Jr., on September 6, 1943.  Jean peacefully passed away December 4, 2018 at Baylor-Carrollton, Vitas Hospice In-Patient Unit after a valiant fight against colon cancer.

Jean was raised in the oilfields of Monahans, Texas and Odessa, Texas as the oldest of 3 siblings where her Father was a petroleum engineer for Gulf. She loved her years in Monahans and Odessa, and remained close to many of her classmates from that area.

In 1960, Jean married Mike Robinson and experienced the life of a military wife for the next 4 years. Her son Mike was born in 1961 in Aberdeen, Maryland and while in Germany her son Danny was born in 1962. She was married to Jim Johnson from 1966 to 1983 and became the Mom to his 2 children, Jimmy and Cheryl, after the death of their mother. Jim adopted Mike and Danny and they blended their families. Jeffrey was born in Odessa in 1968. Tenesia Takeyama joined their family in 1973 and became Jean’s foster- daughter.

She had several jobs through the years, but the most meaningful were the years she spent at MCI.  She had many years as the administrative assistant for Joe Cook and served as a budget analyst.  She really enjoyed her job, but more than anything, she loved the people there. While working at MCI, Jean was able to complete her college classes. In May 1994 she received her Bachelor of Applied Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University.

Jean spent her life as a loving and devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.  She loved her family, her friends, and her church.  She loved her dogs and loved being a dog-sitter, which gave her comfort.  She became good friends with the families that she would dog-sit for.  They became extended family and stayed very close to her.  She loved working in her garden and loved to see everything grow. She became a Master Gardener in Collin County and took great pride in contributing as a volunteer in the community.  She was a story-teller and truly enjoyed sharing her many stories. Most of Jean’s family, especially the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, knew her as “Nano”. One of her most enjoyable Nano things was crocheting afghans as special gifts for her loved ones to celebrate births, weddings or going off to college. She was self-taught and did an excellent job. One of her special Christmas gifts to friends and family was crocheted white snowflakes.

Her faith and connection with the church also gave her much comfort and purpose.  Her entire life was a testament to her strong Christian faith. Over the years Jean served as an active volunteer at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Plano. She assisted in the RCIA program and served as a sponsor for several converts who were studying to become new Catholics, Communion Minister at the Masses and took communion to the hospitals, helped make rosaries with the St. Mark’s Rosary Makers, volunteered at the Parish Office and assisted in the Funeral Ministry. Her sweet smile will be missed by all who knew her.

Jean loved to see new places.  One of her favorite memories was the 2-week trip she took with her son Jeffrey and his family to Italy.  They saw so many beautiful sights, but the best part was when she went to Rome and saw the Vatican.  Another exciting event was her trip to Antigua for her grandson Charlie and his future wife Kaci’s wedding. It was so special since they paid for all 4 grandmothers to attend their destination wedding where they created life-time family memories.  She loved to take day trips and weekend trips with her good friends, Barbara Thompson and Linda Friss.  They loved going to the Arboretum, seeing the bluebonnets in the spring, visiting quaint towns and spending time at the lake.

Jean is survived by her cherished children Mike Johnson and his wife Beverly, Danny Johnson, Jeffrey Johnson and his wife Debbie, step-son Jimmy Johnson and his wife Audrey, step-daughter Cheryl Myers and foster-daughter Tenesia Takeyama and her husband Talao; 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; sister Patricia Vigil, her brother Dr. Joe Hart and his wife Charlotte; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her loving parents.

She also loved chocolate and would joke, “Just put some chocolate kisses in with me at the end.”  To those who knew her, this will make you smile and remember her fondly. She was a wonderful person and will be greatly missed.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, December 17th at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1201 Alma Drive, Plano, TX 75075. The Rosary will begin at 10:15 A.M. After the committal service at the St. Mark Columbarium, a reception will be held at the St. Mark Parish Center, 1105 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas, 75075.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity such as St. Mark's Rosary Makers, 1105 West 15th Street, Plano, TX 75075 or the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection, www.texasforthem.org. Donations can be made under the About tab.