Jessica W. Johnson

Johnson, Jessica Whittle, age 98, passed away peacefully, on October 6th, 2013. She was born September 8th, 1915, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the daughter of Blanche and Matthew Whittle. Her early life was spent in east Tennessee with summers in the Great Smokey Mountains. Having a father with a prominent nursery business as well as the Cherokee Orchard in Gatlinburg, she developed an interest in his plants and outdoor activities. To this day she had at her home in Orlando one of the nicest rose gardens to be seen. She attended the University of Tennessee and was a member of Chi Omega. While working in Maryville, Tennessee, she met and married her loving husband of 62yrs, Dr. Melvin J. Johnson, Jr. In 1954, she moved to Orlando with her family and husband. There they worked side by side to help start her husband’s surgical practice. During her 60 years in Orlando, she was a wife, mother, homemaker, an excellent cook and friend to many. She spent much of her limited spare time supporting various charitable activities. Some of the most memorable events she hosted were for support of the Threshold School for Autistic Children. She was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary at Orange Memorial Hospital, the Country Club of Orlando, and The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke. She was also a lifelong supporter of many animal welfare organizations. She will be remembered for her unique wit, her kindness and her determination. Certainly, she will be remembered for how she told her stories with a twinkle in her eye and a wry smile, recounting deeds full of mischief and charm, always revealing a twist on convention that was her nature. Her husband Melvin J. Johnson, Jr., predeceased her in 2004. She is survived by her daughter Nancy Saltonstall (William) of Sevierville Tennessee, her two sons, Mathew M. Johnson and Melvin J. Johnson, III (Marsha) of Orlando, and grandchildren, William Saltonstall, Joseph Saltonstall, James Saltonstall, Andrew Saltonstall, Bryan Ross Johnson and Valerie Brooke Benvenuto, six great grandchildren, six great great grandchildren and her most recent canine companion Pugsly. Arrangements entrusted to Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home. Visitation will be from five to seven P.M., Friday, October 11th, at Carey Hand, 2811 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, Florida. Services will take place at the Cathedral Church of Saint Luke, 130 N. Magnolia, Orlando, Fl, at 2 P.M., Saturday, October 12th, with interment to follow at Greenwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Central Florida SPCA.