Zina M. Johnson

Preceded in death by her devoted husband, Ross S. Johnson, she was the loving and faithful matriarch of her family: her children, Bill Johnson of Parker, CO, Kaye Marconnet of Tallahassee, FL, and Anne Groh of Fleming Island, FL; their spouses, Maureen Johnson, Randy Marconnet, and Jon Groh; her 6 grandchildren, Shannon, Sean, Jason, Brian, Jonathan, and Colleen; and her 9 great grandchildren, Sarah, William, Teagan, Imogen, Barrett, Avery, Adalin, Brady, and Daphne. Her greatest treasure was her family.

Zina was born in Milton, Florida, on October 31, 1933, to Frank and Annie Jernigan. She was a caring sister to 8 other siblings: Mary, Bill, Silas, Yancey, I.D., Elizabeth, Jerry, and Pauline, all of whom preceded her in death.

Zina and Ross married on December 6, 1950. They spent the first 20 years of their life together going where the USAF took them. When he retired in 1970, they moved to Pensacola, Florida. In the spring of 2000, they relocated to Tallahassee, Florida. A few years after Ross’s death in 2012 and with the decline of her own strength and capacity, Zina moved east to Jacksonville/Fleming Island, Florida.

Zina loved all plants and flowers and birds, exerting great effort to make her backyard a magnificent retreat. She loved playing bridge and other games, shopping, classic movies, and Christmas. Her hands were always working on something—she could sew, do embroidery and needlepoint, and created numerous pieces of decoupage and ceramics. In her last years, she took up adult coloring.

Zina made friends everywhere and enjoyed a number of lifelong friendships. She had a servant’s heart and was happiest when she was helping other people--not just her own family, but anyone else she could serve. She drove those with no transportation to church, to doctor’s appointments, and to errands. She made sure those in her life who did not have the means for a bountiful Christmas dinner had a full spread. She provided comfort and meals to anyone who was ill or just needed a visit. She sat with people in the hospital and at their bedside. In church, she helped teach children in Sunday School, rocked babies in the nursery, and cooked for every church supper. Zina’s heart for others was most sweetly witnessed in her care for Ross after he was diagnosed with dementia. First at home and then later in memory care, she tirelessly oversaw his daily care, even in the midst of her own health challenges. Her determination to see the right things done was grounded in a deep sense of duty and her faith in Christ--a faith that was clear, constant, and expressed most beautifully in her support and encouragement of everyone around her.

Her family would like to thank everyone at Pruitt Health Fleming Island for the loving and excellent care they provided Zina during her residence there these last 15 months. They would also like to thank the Nurses, CNAs, Social Workers, and Chaplains of the local Community Hospice for their expert care.

Funeral will be held at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 700 Timberlane Rd, Tallahassee, Florida, 32312, at 10:00am, on Saturday, September 5, 2026. A reception will follow the service.