Mary Alice was born in Mountain City, TN to the late John Blaine Stout and Etoila Bell Hicks Stout. She was the 6th of 7 children raised on a farm. A first cousin, Pansy, was also raised with them after her mother died at a young age. She was like a sister to the 7 siblings. The bonds developed in the Stout family were strong. They were active members of Bethel Baptist Church.
She met her husband, Joe Johnson, at Johnson County High School. He once said that she was the prettiest girl in the high school. They married in 1952 and moved to Knoxville where they raised their two children, Patricia and Mike. Mary was a full- time homemaker until the children were school age. At that time, she entered beauty school and eventually opened a beauty shop in the basement of their home. She enjoyed this work for many years, taking care of friends in the neighborhood and church.
When her husband, Joe, retired at 50, so did Mary. For a ten- year period, they traveled out West in their camper, enjoyed gardening, and lived in Georgia, East Tennessee, and Florida for various periods of time. At age 60, they settled down and moved to Nashville to be close to their two young grandsons, Ross and Brian. They bought a boat and enjoyed fishing on Percy Priest Lake. Mary joined a Baptist Church close to home and joined a Sunday School class of ladies who would become life-long friends.
In retirement, Mary developed interests in quilting, crocheting, stamping, cake decorating, and many other crafts. Friends and relatives were the lucky recipients of her handiwork. At age 76, she had a major stroke, which began a series of health issues and memory loss, but she faced all these challenges with a great attitude. Her kindness, unconditional love, smile, and zest for life will live on through those she has touched.
In addition to her parents, Mary Alice is preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Park Johnson, and her siblings, Rubin Stout, Bert Stout, Willard Stout, Vera Stout Jordan, and Helen Stout Walsh.
She is survived by her sister, Ann Stout Greer, her daughter, Patricia (Pat) Lynn Flemming, son-in-law, Stephen (Steve) Farnham Flemming, son, Michael Steven Johnson, grandsons Stephen Ross Flemming (Mary Catherine) and Brian Patrick Flemming (Mary Foster), great-granddaughters, Madison Rhea Flemming, Riley Marie Flemming, and Jane Loughlin Flemming.
A Celebration of Life will be conducted in the Hermitage Funeral Home Chapel on Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Casey Langley Orr officiating. Interment will follow at Hermitage Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be from 10:00 until the time of the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: The Sunny Day Club at Brentwood United Methodist Church (Brentwood, TN), The Sunny Day Club at Hillcrest United Methodist Church (Nashville, TN), or a charity of your choice.
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