Doris Jeanne Johnson

Jeanne was born in Connersville, September 21, 1925 to Hubert H “Chub” and Dorothy (Selm) Rollins. During her childhood the family moved several times and she attended schools in Connersville, Chicago, and Indianapolis. Most of her high school years were spent at Howe High School in Indianapolis but by her Senior year the family had returned to Connersville and she graduated from Connersville High School with the class of 1943.

On July 13, 1945, she was married to Robert M Johnson in Houston, Texas. At that time, Robert was a lieutenant in the US Army Air Force, assigned to nearby Ellington Field. Upon his discharge at Lincoln, Nebraska they returned to Connersville. Except for living in Lafayette while Bob attended Purdue and a brief period in Cincinnati, they lived in Connersville the rest of their lives. Bob passed away on January 31, 1997.

Jeanne was most in her element outside. From the spring thaw until well after the first hard frost you were most likely to find her somewhere in her yard planting and transplanting flowers or doing other yard work. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of flowers and other plants and was often consulted by other gardeners about what and when to plant. For many years she was a leading member of the Fayette County Garden Club. For nearly half a century she provided enough starts to other gardeners to stock a large nursery. People would come for one plant and leave with a car or truck filled with a variety of many plants, trees, and bushes.

During the years her daughter Jan was in 4-H, and for a least a few years afterwards, Jeanne was adult leader of the Grinnin’ Gals 4-H Club.

For several years in the later 1960s and early 1970s she worked at Holthouse Furniture in Connersville, first as a sales woman, and later adding the responsibility of Store Manager to her sales job.

In addition to her gardening skills, Jeanne was very talented with her hands. Over the years she produced carvings, and did clay sculpting. These would then be hand painted. For several years she was interested in miniatures. In addition to buying dollhouse furnishings that were already finished, she assembled furniture kits and fabricated many things from odds and ends she would find. She built heirloom quality dollhouses for her great-granddaughters. She made heirloom quality Christmas Stockings for her three grandsons, and later for her great-grandchildren as well. Many family members have at least one item that Jeanne either carved, molded, painted, built, or sewed to remember her by.

Although she would always say that she didn’t enjoy cooking, she was nonetheless good at it. For many years, relatives and friends enjoyed her cookies, cakes, vegetable soup, and tenderloins.

At a time in her life when most people start to slow down, Jeanne took on the task of caregiver for her mother who was showing the early signs of dementia. She would continue to do so until her mother’s heath deteriorated to the point that proper care for her mother required more than even her abilities could handle. Later she would devote much of her time helping her husband and then her aunt when their health began to decline

Prior to her health declining to the point that it was no longer possible, she was active in the local Presbyterian Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, James Rollins, a sister, Rosemary Hart, her husband, Robert M Johnson, a daughter, Janice Ann Smith, and several Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.

She leaves behind to honor her memory her son, Randy Johnson, grandsons Chad (Angel) Smith, Trent Smith, and Kyle (Betsy) Smith; great-grandchildren Brooke (Dillion)Duvelius, Lauren (Jackie) Ross, Brice Smith, Maci Smith, Madison Smith and Emily Smith; her sisters Carol (Jack) Mullikin and Nancy (David) Ridge; four great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Also mourning Jeanne’s passing will be two special friends, Marilyn Maxwell of Connersville and Nancy Ostrander of Irvington, Indiana.

A funeral service will be conducted at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, July 20, 2023 at Showalter Blackwell Long, Myers Chapel Connersville. Burial will follow at Dale Cemetery. Friends may gather at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m., until the time of service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Fayette County Garden Club or The First Presbyterian Church in Jeanne’s honor.