February 28, 1930 – November 23, 2020
Resident of Medford, Oregon
Martha (Mig) Johnson died peacefully at the Rogue Valley Manor Memory Support Center on November 23, 2020 at the age of 90. She was born on February 28, 1930 in Oak Park, Illinois and raised in River Forest by her parents G. Herbert and Mary Wallace Shorney. She was the oldest of four siblings with whom she maintained a great relationship throughout her life.
Mig graduated from Oak Park High School in 1947. A swimmer, she was an Illinois state backstroke champion and was fondly nicknamed the “champ” by her father. She attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She graduated from Denison in 1951 with a degree in sociology. Intrigued by her French courses in school and her parents’ stories of their trips, Mig set off with two friends to travel through Europe. She returned to Chicago, where she worked for Needham, Louis and Brorby, an advertising agency. Through her parents, she met William (Bill) Warren Johnson who was completing his studies at Northwestern University medical school. They were married on June 15, 1953 and departed the next day for San Francisco where Dr. Johnson was to intern for four years.
Mig and Bill then moved to Portland, Oregon where he entered the US Air Force as a Captain and next transferred to Oxnard AFB in California. The Johnsons settled in Los Gatos, California in 1959 where they raised three children and eventually built a home on the edge of what would become Silicon Valley. They were longtime members of the Los Gatos Swim & Racquet Club and enjoyed the outdoor activities offered by their new lives out west. Besides her swimming, Mig was an avid tennis player, golfer and skier.
During her 40 years in Los Gatos, Mig also worked at Rinconada Travel Agency and did volunteer work for Eastfield Ming Quong (EMQ), the Villa Montalvo Arts Center and Second Harvest Food Bank.
The Johnsons moved to the Rogue Valley Manor in Medford, Oregon in 1999 and continued to ski, golf and play tennis. Mig also loved to garden, play bridge, draw, paint and play the piano. She is remembered by many as a warm, gracious and loyal friend.
Mig was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Bill, and her brother George Shorney. She is survived by a sister, Sib Ellis, and brother-in-law (Cappy Black) and brother, Bill Shorney, and sister-in-law (Erika), her three children, Jeff (Sylvie), Sara, and David (Sara Amelia) Johnson, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Special thanks are given to the entire staff of the Rogue Valley Manor for over 20 years of thoughtful service, genuine companionship and loving care, and their tremendous support during the challenging year of 2020.
Mig will be buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington, Michigan, across from the resort where her extended family enjoyed many summers together. Memorial gifts can be made to the Rogue Valley Manor Foundation. Please visit Mig’s online memorial at https://www.lastingmemories.com/memorial/mrs-martha-mig-wallace-shorney-johnson where friends and family can sign her guest book, share memories, and post photos.
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