Harriet E Johnson

She was born June 20th, 1920, the only child of Dr. James Tilman Wyatt and Edna Wyatt (Hammel) in Hennepin, Illinois. In childhood the family moved to Roanoke, Illinois where she grew up, attending Roanoke public schools and graduating from Roanoke High School in 1938.

In childhood she displayed promise in music eventually studying piano and voice at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois where she became a member of Delta Omicron Music Sorority. She then attended Brown Business School in Peoria, Illinois in the secretarial program and briefly worked as a secretary for the Girl Scouts headquarters in Peoria.

On July 27, 1941 she married Albert M. Johnson who predeceased her in 2005. She is survived by 8 children: James, Dodge City, KS; JoEllen Streit, Indianapolis, IN; Anne Joseph, San Diego, CA; Janice Allton, Woodland Park, CO; Helen Harrington, Central Sq, NY; Thomas, Glenville, NY; Jean Johnson, Columbus, OH; and Donald, Gardnerville, NV. She was much loved by 20 grand children and 15 great grand children.

In the 1960s she was elected the first woman Elder of the First Presbyterian Church, Owego, NY and also served as an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church, Las Cruces, NM.

Harriet was active in the church for most of her life, not only with administrative duties but also as a choir member, vocal soloist, pianist and organist.

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church choir, Owego, NY, the Motet Singers of Binghamton, NY, a soloist with the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society and as a member of the SUNY Binghamton Chorus and the BC Pops of Binghamton, NY.

She and her husband retired to Las Cruces, NM where she was an accompanist in the Music Department at NMSU, Las Cruces, and a member of the choir of the First Presbyterian Church of Las Cruces. She served as Assistant organist at First Presbyterian, Las Cruces.

She and Al moved to Colorado Springs in 1999 where she was accompanist for children’s choir at First Presbyterian Church, and a choir member of First United Methodist Church (UMC). She performed as a vocal soloist for several family weddings and took great joy in music her entire life.

Cremation will be at Swan Law in Colorado Springs. The family plans a celebration of life for her 98th Birthday, June 20th, 2018 at 2 PM at First UMC in Colorado Springs. In Lieu of flowers, donations to Springs Rescue Mission.