Emily "Jean" Johnson

Born in Pekin, September 1929, she was the second of two children born to Victor Alfs and his wife, Alice (Boyer) Alfs. Her parents preceded her in death, as did her older sister, Donna (Alfs) Berte, and her husband of nearly 63 years, Thomas L. Johnson.

As a child, her family referred to her as Emily. As an adult, she preferred “Jean”, and was known by that name by most of her many friends. Jean was a lifelong resident of the greater Peoria area. She graduated from Woodruff High School in 1948 when she served as editor of the Talisman annual yearbook. As a student at Woodruff, she met her future husband, Thomas. They married in April 1951 and shared a decades-long marriage until Tom passed in 2013. Jean was proud to boast that her life’s four priorities all revolved around family: She was a caring daughter, loving wife, nurturing mother, and loyal servant to her Lord.

In 1954, while expecting her first child, Tom and Jean bought their first home, in Peoria’s east bluff on Seneca Place. They spent 40 years there, raising their three children, and Jean would often refer to those years as her most joyous. Motherhood, after all, was her greatest aspiration.

All three children, Philip, Jual and Jeffrey survive. The oldest child of Tom and Jean, Philip, married Cathy (Novotny); they have dual residencies in Elmwood and Port Charlotte, FL. Phil and Cathy gave Tom and Jean four beautiful grandchildren: Jessica (Brady) Sammis, Katrina (Nick) Craven, and grandsons, Benjamin and Bobby. All four grandchildren survive, and carry on the legacy of love they drew from four wonderful grandparents. Upon her passing this past Sunday, Jean boasted 4 great-granddaughters of her own. Three of those are the daughters of Katrina and her husband, Nick. A fourth great-granddaughter belong to Jessica and her husband, Brady. In recent years, they brought endless smiles to their ‘Great Grandma Johnson’.

Following their oldest son, Philip, Thomas and Emily Jean –typical baby-boomer parents of the era– then bore a beautiful daughter, their middle child, Jual Ann “Julie” (Markillie). She and her spouse (Randy) reside near-by in Edwards IL. Both are retired.

Their youngest son, Jeffrey, spent 20-years in St. Louis after college. In 2005, he returned to Peoria, to help as the primary caregiver to Tom and Jean in their golden years. He is currently employed with Peoria Public Schools. Jean was also proud of her life-long and fond relationship with her two nieces (daughters of sister, Donna), Jane Waldron and Janet Neale, both living in the D.C. area.

During her children’s school years, she was active in programs to promote the learning experiences of grammar school-aged children. As a co-founder and a 10-year active member of the Von Steuben grade school Mother’s Club, she helped arrange and chaperone guided tours of Glen Oak zoo, area firehouses, produced parent/child fashion shows, and so much more.

In 1969, after almost eighteen years as a proud, prototypical housewife and mother to her husband and three children, she went to work for Peoria Public Schools (PPS), District #150 as an executive secretary. Over the next 29 years, she held key positions at the PPS administration building, notably as the executive secretary to superintendent Harry Whitaker during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

In the 1990s, Jean took a growing interest and pride in her gardening by creating new and unique plant and flower patterns, each Spring. She joined the Peoria Garden Club at that time and later served as secretary to the High Point Neighborhood Association after she and Tom moved there in 1994.

Forrest Hill United Methodist Church (FHUMC) in Peoria, near Von Steuben school, became their spiritual home in the 1960s and Jean, along with Tom and their children were active in the many programs sponsored there. In recent years, her health restricted some of her involvement, but she remained an active member for the remainder of her life.

Due to the current COVID-19 health crisis, a private family-only grave side service was held on Friday. As the coronavirus eventually begins to subside, a celebration-of-life service will be planned and announced for the public, to be held at Forrest Hill United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial contributions to either the IL Alzheimer’s Association, or Forrest Hill United Methodist Church, at 706 E Forrest Hill Ave., Peoria IL, 61603.