Mary Lou Johnson

Mary Lou Johnson of Falls Church, VA, passed away on January 5, 2023, at the age of 85. Her loss is felt deeply by her family and many friends who, without exception, remember her as a wonderful sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, friend, and patriot.

Born in Philadelphia, PA to T. Alfred and Vera Pilson in 1937 as the oldest of four siblings, she lived in the many places that her parents were stationed in years before and during World War II, including Washington, DC, Dayton, OH, and Oakland, CA. The family settled in Arlington, VA after the war. Mary Lou attended schools in Arlington, and the family experienced a sustaining fellowship at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. Mary Lou graduated from what is now Washington-Liberty High School in 1955. Noted in her high school yearbook were speech and drama activities that she continued in her college years at the alma mater of both her parents, Asbury University (formerly Asbury College) in Wilmore, KY. There she excelled, earning a speech scholarship. She returned to Arlington after graduating in 1959, teaching eighth grade English and speech for a short time at Gunston Junior High School in Arlington until her marriage in June 1960 to Clinton B. Johnson, just after his graduation from the US Naval Academy.

As a Navy wife, Mary Lou showed her adaptability by thriving wherever she was, whether it be Corpus Christi, TX, or the paradise of Hawai’i, where she lived for four years and where two of her children were born (Mark and Jennifer). Her time there began a lifelong love for Hawai’i, and she went back whenever she could; each trip she checked up on her former neighborhood and house. After a final USN tour in Lemoore, CA she accompanied her husband, then with Delta Airlines, to Chicago, where her third child (Cathy) was born, and then to Miami.

Mary Lou felt blessed to have a robust community of friends in Key Biscayne, FL, where she lived from 1972-1981. She was active in the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday School and shepherding her own children and others through 1970s Miami, (no easy feat). She was very fond of the Everglades, Sanibel Island, Key West and other “old Florida” places and took her children and any visitors on numerous trips to Everglades National Park and other sites. She was always on the lookout for travel deals, which at first sounded great to her children, but always turned out to be trips infused with subtle educational activities (for which her children are retrospectively grateful).

In 1981, she moved with her children to McLean, VA, and was successful in gaining employment with the Central Intelligence Agency. She started there in 1983 as a Researcher and ended her career in 2003 as an Analyst, having completed full tours in Austria and Egypt and temporary tours in other countries. The CIA took notice of her potential and gave her many opportunities to excel, which she did not waste, acquiring a very particular set of skills. While overseas, she indulged her love for travel, often leading family members and friends visiting from the US on spectacular journeys (always educational, of course).

After her government retirement, she worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as an Analyst, retiring for real in 2008. Her retirement years were spent travelling, reading, learning, helping others while serving as a Deacon at Fall Church Presbyterian Church, and being a rock for her family and friends who survive her, including her siblings Tim Pilson (Carolyn), Barbara Snyder (Charlie), and Karen Pilson; children Mark Johnson (Liz Thiel), Jennifer Ketchum (Clem), and Cathy Johnson; nephews Thomas Pilson (Anita), Everett Pilson (Stacey), Cecil Pilson (Katie), and their families; and her beloved grandsons and their wives, Captain Benjamin Ketchum, USA (Molly) and Captain William Ketchum, USA (Captain Elizabeth Ketchum, USA).

Mary Lou lived for six years at The Kensington Falls Church. Her family thanks the compassionate professionals at the Kensington for their care of her during her final years and asks that in lieu of flowers, please support any of the organizations dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s Disease.

A memorial service with a reception celebrating Mary Lou’s life will be held at 11:00AM on Friday, February 3, 2023, at Falls Church Presbyterian Church, 225 East Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046.