Mary Margaret Johnson

Mary Margaret Johnson, 93, mother of ten and a person of quiet and steady faith, passed into the loving arms of God on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2022, after a lifetime of hosting Christmas gatherings and other joyful celebrations for many. Although January 6th marks the end of the Christmas season, the infant Christ and the light of God still abide.

Knowing this, those who had “Peg” in their lives pinch themselves, understanding full well that God (and not simple Irish luck) brought her to them. For she was wisdom to her 10 children in crucial life moments; strength for 21 grandchildren as they embark on their own lives; and the foundation to a 63-year marriage that enabled her husband to move, start a business, succeed greatly, and travel and retire with the love of his life. Peg had 10 great-grandchildren, with another on the way. A good Irish blessing descends upon them all.

Athletic, joyful, and stylish, she was “Spike” to her tennis friends. She was chauffeur of the yellow station wagon. She had popsicles in her refrigerator, priests at her dinner table, kids in her pool, presents piled under the tree for guests who might just happen by, a couple of lucky cats she called “Kitty,” and friends in Carrollwood and at St. Paul Catholic Church. Some of them came to the Catholic faith because she volunteered with the Rite of Christian Initiation for Catholics. She taught Sunday school to youngsters.

To her husband, George F. Johnson, Jr., she was the young lady in the brown dress lighting up the room when he first saw her at a New Year’s Eve party. Later, she was the gracious host for business clients. She had her passport ready for cruises. She was elegant. She was wise, but exceedingly gentle. Asked once how it was to raise child after child in the boisterous 1960s and 1970s, she said: “Oh, but I had the better part.” Each son- or daughter-in-law she cherished in her family as her own, and said so.

Her life began in Chicago, the second child of Logan and Mary Furry. She graduated from Saint Xavier University and worked briefly as a school teacher. After beginning their married life in Chicago, Peg and George settled in the community of Palos Heights, where the 10 children were born. They moved to Carrollwood in 1969 when George co-founded the Tampa business

of Gulf Controls Corporation. They lived in a small, ranch house on Cocos Road, but later moved to Reclinata Lane, bigger for children becoming teen-agers. She is preceded in death by George, who knew fully the gift he had in Peg. Her brother, Richard, also preceded her.

She is survived by her children: Terrence Johnson, Linda King, James Johnson, Jean Lidinsky, Thomas Johnson, Diane Nelson, Nancy Keeton, Patrick Johnson, Margaret Owen, and Scott Johnson, along with beloved sons- and daughters-in-law, Beckie, Clay, Denise, Dan, Julie, Jim, Beth, Ben, and Krisi. Her grandchildren are Lauren, Tracy, Carolyn, Kristen, Russell, Logan, Raymond, Lydia, Clark, Michael, Scott, Bryce, Graham, Mary, Catherine, Christine, George, Mia, Sarah, Julia, and Hannah.

A funeral Mass will take place Thursday, January 13, 2022, at 10 a.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church located at 12708 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Fl. Flowers are graciously accepted at the funeral home, Blount & Curry, located at 3207 W. Bearss Avenue, Tampa, Fl 33618. Alternatively, memorial contributions may be made to Smile Train, donate.smiletrain.org.