She was whipsmart and loved words—perhaps in a debate over dinner, or in the literature that was an abiding comfort and companion to her throughout her life. Most fiercely, she loved her family, and we love her.
Carell grew up in Kitsilano, attending General Gordon Elementary and Kitsilano Secondary, Class of ‘63. At Kits, she was one of the top students in her class, president of the student council and the Girls’ League, as well as a member of the tennis team and columnist for the student newspaper. She then studied at the University of B.C., earning a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in English, and meeting a physics major who in 1967 would become her husband of more than 50 years, John R. Johnson.
In 1973, they moved to a small town in Ontario, Deep River, where they had two children, Richard and Lisa. Carell baked birthday cakes (Superman, with bright red frosting) and sewed Halloween costumes (an angel, cut from her wedding dress)—while also staying up late to write letters, read books, and cover news stories as a freelance correspondent for The Ottawa Citizen.
A work opportunity for John, and the desire to move west, led them to Richland, W.A., where Carell shepherded her children through their teenage years, taught at the local community college, and enjoyed long dog walks along the Columbia River.
In 1999, she finally—her words—returned home to Vancouver. She flourished as an instructor in the English department at Langara College, and revelled in summertime swims at Spanish Banks.
Her greatest joy, in her final years cut too short, were her two grandchildren, Liam and Sylvie, and a much-anticipated third on the way. From newborn snuggles, to silly wordplay, to soccer games, their presence would light up her world.
She leaves her husband, John; son, Richard, and his wife, Melanie; daughter, Lisa, and her husband, Jacy; brother, Don Brown, his wife, Pat, and their son, Tristan; stepmother, Johan Brown; and grandchildren, Liam, Sylvie and Lila.
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