Joan Johnson, 94, of Superior Township, MI passed away peacefully at Brecon Village in Saline, MI on Monday, November 18, 2024. 

Born in Cambridge, MA on May 14th, 1930, she was the first born of two daughters to the late Carl and Jessie Christofferson.  Her childhood years were happily spent with her family, many relatives and friends in the Concord/Acton, MA area and summers at Cape Cod.  She spent countless days at her grandparents' large farm while also looking after her younger sister, Linda.  She excelled in her schoolwork while also serving as the vice-president of her senior class and playing on the Acton varsity women's high school basketball team.  Joan was particularly proud of her Norwegian and Scottish heritage learning to cook traditional Norwegian foods which she prepared and shared for most of her life with family and friends.  She always had a tale or two to tell about her heritage including that her great grandfather was a "sea captain" from Arbroath, Scotland when, in fact, he was a sailor in that fishing town.  For years, we thought an old portrait oil painting she proudly displayed was of that sea captain.

Joan, or "Chris" as her nursing and school friends called her, earned her nursing degree, RN, from the Massachusetts Mount Auburn Hospital Nursing School in 1952.  Nursing was her true calling and how she met her husband, Billy Roy Johnson, while serving as Navy nurse in California.   The two were married shortly thereafter and had two children, Eric and Beth, while still serving in the Navy.  After completing their service obligations, the family moved back to Massachusetts where her husband pursued his education while she continued in nursing and raised the family.  A third and last child, Mark, was born there.  The family later moved to Vermont where Joan raised her kids and continued in nursing as an emergency room nurse at Rutland Hospital.  Years later, the family relocated to Pennsylvania where Joan moved into industrial nursing at the Budd Company eventually transitioning into the Labor Relations organization.  Joan spent many years at various Budd automotive facilities in the South and Midwest and retired from the company at the age of 60 as a Labor Relations Corporate Director.

Her retirement years were particularly productive and reflected her "caregiving" heart and artisan passions.  In addition to volunteering at the Veterans hospital for a short period, she traveled to Mali, primarily Bamako and Timbuktu, as part of a medical mission to help those in need.  When friends and relatives had no one to turn to for daily care in their final days, Joan would spend, whatever time it took to make them as comfortable as possible before they passed.  In addition, she honed her craft skills with rug hooking, needlepoint, and painting being her primary artistic endeavors.  She loved traveling with her cousin, "Buzz" visiting many sites in the US.  Her home was always filled with family during the holidays where she would prepare cherished family recipes including her Norwegian specialties. 

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, and all of her generational family members and is survived by her children, Eric, Beth, and Mark, her grandchildren, Kourtney, Katie, Becky, and Amy, and, to date, 8 great-grandchildren.  She would want to be remembered through them as family was the most important part of her life and they made her proud every day.

Thanks to all her family and friends who were there for her throughout her life and last days and a special thanks to the staff at the Saline Brecon Village Memory Care facility for the excellent care she received.  In the end, the caregiver, Joan, was well cared for by others.

Funeral arrangements and interment will be private as per Joan's wishes.