Caroline Genevieve Johnson Obituary (1924

Caroline Genevieve Johnson, 91, departed her loved ones on April 21, 2016. The first of ten children born to Albert and Mary Caroline (Carter) Ricard, Caroline was born on November 12, 1924, in Yakima, Washington. She attended St. Paul's Grade School and St. Joseph's Academy before marrying the love of her life, Stewart A. Johnson, to whom she was married for 58 years. After her mother passed at an early age, Caroline helped raise her nine brothers and sisters while also raising the first of her and Stewart's own eight children. Caroline was thereafter blessed with 17 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren, whom she showered with undying love and affection. Caroline had an innate way with babies and children, and with her infectious smile, sweet kisses, and warm embrace, she could pacify even the fussiest of babies into a deep slumber. Caroline loved children so much that she often said she would have had 16, or even 24 children, had her doctor not advised her otherwise. Caroline was raised in a musical family and was an accomplished pianist herself. She was front and center at the weekly dances her mother and father hosted in the 20's and 30's, and while her folks played piano, harmonica, and fiddle to appreciative crowds, Caroline would sing and cut a rug, her dance card constantly full. From the time she was alittle girl to the day she left this world to be with her Lord and Savior, Caroline was a tireless worker and 'Jane-of-All-Trades.' She helped her father construct their first plaster and lathe home, worked in the sawmills in Tacoma during WWII and in the canneries in the Yakima Valley, waited tables at the local donut shop and at Gasperetti's in Union Gap, and assisted Stewart at the family hardware store. She was an amazing cook, consummate gardener, master seamstress, and volunteered countless hours with the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church. When it came to her cooking, Caroline's fried chicken and home-made pies were legendary. As she prepared family meals every Sunday, neighborhood children gathered at the back porch, lured by the irresistible aromas wafting from her home. Although 'cozy' for a family of ten, Caroline's and Stewart's home was always open to all, and each holiday for decades it was alive with board games, card games (pinochle, in particular), vibrant conversation, and endless laughter. Once their kids began having families of their own, Caroline and Stewart finally afforded themselves rare moments to relax. Caroline relished their time salmon fishing, playing the dollar slots in Reno, visiting family throughout western Washington, and hosting enormous family reunions on Whidbey Island, for which she and her sister-in-law, Mary, prepared most of the food for many years. Caroline and her four daughters also cherished what came to be 'notorious' yearly escapes to Leavenworth, where their high-jinx and belly laughter kept the small town in stitches, yet on ever-vigilant alert. Caroline was the strongest of souls whose faith in the Lord and the Catholic Church knew few, if any rivals. She was the proud wife of WWII veteran, Stewart, and mother of two Vietnam War Veterans, her twin sons, Ron and Don. Miraculously, Caroline's immense strength and spirit allowed her to live out her 91 years in the peace and comfort of her own home, for which she was ever-grateful. This was also made possible with much assistance from Caroline's loving and dutiful children in her later years. Caroline is survived by her sister, Rose (Jim) Warner; sister-in-law Caroline Belcher, her children, Carole Sierts (Dennis), Ron Johnson, Sandi Osborne (Tim), Mary Harrington (Tim), Tom Johnson, and Tim Johnson (Beverly); son-in-law, Bill Lighthall (Judy); grandchildren, Tracy Austin (Jeff), David Lighthall, Lisa Lighthall-Haubert (Doug), Michelle Johnson-Searles (Ned), Jackie Johnson-Hanks, Kimberly Johnson-Eckstein (David), Stephen Johnson, Sarah Johnson-Pappas (John), Joe Osborne (Meredith), Kiki Osborne-Rodriguez, Andy Johnson (Taylor), Jillian Johnson, Caroline Johnson-Ethell (David), Steven Priebe-Johnson, and Mark Dukart; and by her 28 great-children, two great-great-grandchildren, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Caroline was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Mary Caroline; her siblings, Albert, Arthur, Fred, Francis, Kathleen, Bill, Bernadine, and Robert; her husband, Stewart Johnson; her children, Don Johnson and Kathleen Lighthall; and her grandchildren, Ralph McInnis Rosenberry III ('Todd') and Trevor Rosenberry. A vigil will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. at Brookside Funeral Home, with a Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, April 28, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul Cathedral. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery. The family offers special thanks to Caroline's team of doctors and medical providers who kept her in such good health throughout the years, St. Paul Cathedral for its spiritual support of Caroline, Stewart, and their family, and Cottage in the Meadow Hospice for its wonderful care and comfort of Caroline in her final days. Memorials in Caroline's name may be made to St. Paul Cathedral, 15 S. 12th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902, or Cottage in the Meadow, 1208 S. 48th Ave., Yakima, WA 98908 or c/o Brookside Funeral Home & Crematory, PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA. 98936. SERVICES Funeral service Thursday, April 28, 2016 St. Paul Cathedral 15 S 12th Ave Yakima, WA 98902