Violet Loraine Johnson Working

Violet Loraine Johnson Working of Bloomington, IN, at age 89 passed away at her residence. She and her husband were former residents of Clinton NC; Toledo, OH; Worthington, OH; and Kettering, OH. She was born January 30, 1929 in Frederick, SD, the only child of Dr. Charles and Bertha Louise Walker Johnson.

Violet met Russell Working at the Fort Wayne, Indiana University Extension Center in 1947, and they each earned their B.S. Degrees in February of 1951 at the Bloomington campus. They married in 1953 in Jamestown, ND after Russell’s separation from the army. They returned to the Bloomington Campus for their masters’ degrees where they had a son, Greg, and a daughter, Kathryn.

Violet mastered nine different art mediums as well as costume design and taught at every level from elementary school to universities. She loved creating art as well as teaching.

Violet established the Working Studio in 1975 and later with Russ, co-partnered in the creation of an internet store-front business, Anlow Artistic Specialities, LLC. She won awards in juried competitions in Columbus and Toledo, OH and in Sampson County in NC. She had solo art exhibits in Bloomington, IN and was accepted in juried shows in Indianapolis, IN. In 2012, Russ and Violet published “Art Lesson Handbook, a Guide for Teaching Art in the Classroom”.

After retiring the Workings moved back to Bloomington in 1993 where they became active in the Bloomington Lions Club. Violet was a member of church, teacher and university associations, societies and clubs as well as art guilds and councils.

Violet is survived by her husband, Dr. Russell A. Working, a son Greg, daughter-in-law, Lynn of St. Peters, MO, a daughter, Kathryn, and son-in-law, William Dawn of Toledo, OH.

Visitation: 12/27/2018 at 1-3pm at the Day & Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home, 4150 E. Third St., Bloomington, IN 47401. Services will follow at 3:30pm and be officiated by Rev Dr David Mullens. The remains are to be cremated and her ashes will be taken to the Greenlawn Cemetery in Mexico, IN.

Special thanks go to Bonnie of the Indiana University Health Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Indiana University Foundation for the Russell A. Working Science Teaching Education Scholarship, School of Education, Indiana University.