Beatrice Irene Johnson

Bea, as she was known to most, or BeaBea to her siblings, was born, along with twin sister Bernice, in Prelate, Saskatchewan, a small prairie town in the heart of the Canadian Dust Bowl. Struggling under the weight of poverty at the height of the Great Depression, the family moved east to Regina, where it would grow to 11 children in all, including Bea’s two older step-siblings.

Bea left school after Grade 10 to get a job to help support her family.

It was while in that job, as a telephone switchboard operator, that she met Dennis Johnson. Drawn to her vivacious, fun-loving, untamable spirit, he asked her to marry him in 1952, and together, the couple raised five children across five provinces before ultimately settling back in Regina.

Bea was a mother and homemaker who took enormous pride in her role. She was steadfast in ensuring her children were well cared for, quick with a hug and a kiss, but strict with the discipline. She kept an immaculately clean house, cooked hearty meat-and-potatoes meals, baked angel food cakes and apple pies and molasses cookies, and was known to stay up into the wee hours ironing even the bedsheets. She loved to entertain, go for coffee with friends, shop, travel and play Yahtzee.

Bea will be remembered for her kindness and thoughtful gift giving. Many bank tellers and bus drivers were benefactors of her baked cookies and muffins throughout her years in Regina. She loved to be with people and kept a close clutch of friends, meeting them daily for coffee at Imperial 400 or A&W. But she was her happiest when surrounded by family and loved to be the center of attention with her zest for charades and dancing. Even though she resided in Edmonton, her heart was always in Saskatchewan. She was one of the province’s greatest ambassadors.

Bea was a woman of strong devotion – to her beliefs and opinions, to her people, and most of all, to God. Although she faced many struggles in life, she never wavered in her faith. Even at the end, the only person whose photo she recognized any more was that of Christ, hanging above her bed.

Although heaven beckoned, Bea did not leave this world without a fight. Never one to give up in the face of hardship, she battled through a decade of dementia that included two bouts of Covid, stubbornly defying each new prediction of her demise to the very end.

Bea will be forever remembered by her children: Susan (Gary), Richard (Margot), Barton (Jessica), and Dwight (Donna); her 15 grandchildren; her 23 great-grandchildren; her sister Elsie, her very special friends Judy and Cheryl as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and other extended family.

Bea was predeceased by her parents Henry and Edith; her son Thomas: her sisters: Margaret, Bernice (Bunny), Marlene, Beulah (Boots), Thelma and Velma as well as by her brothers Carl, Ernest (Ernie) and Edward (Ted).

A Graveside Service will be held for Bea at 1:00 pm on Monday, September 30, 2024 at Heatherdown Cemetery 54031 Range Road 20, Onoway, AB.