Ann S. Johnson

Ann Sue Johnson, age 97, of Portland, Oregon left this earth on Sunday, January 31, 2016 in Newberg, Oregon. She died of natural causes. Ann Sue Harding was born to Margaret Annie Harding and Harry Jefferson Mayo-Becknerd on September 16, 1918 in Marshall County, Alabama. After her mothers untimely death due to complications of birth and the Spanish Flu, Ann was raised by her maternal Grandparents, Susie and James Harding. She attended the Daughters of the American Revolution school and graduated from the eighth grade. Ann spent her teenage years keeping busy with various jobs such as helping with chores on the farm, picking cotton, food service, and child care. In later years, Ann worked at the Talladega Woolen Mill and retired from factory work in 1967. In 1936, Ann married Paul Richard Blair and they resided in Talladega, Alabama, St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida. They had three children: Nellie Dean (1938), Stephen Richard (1950) and Juanita Ann (1957). During this time Ann was a factory worker and notably helped the war effort by working in a bullet factory. Over the years, Ann enjoyed church work and community service and was a faithful member of the Southside Estates Church of God. In 1967, following her divorce, she met and married Edward Leroy Johnson and they resided in Jacksonville, Florida until 1976 when they moved to Portland, Oregon. Ann and her husband were active members of the Holgate Church of God where they began a Bus Ministry that brought countless children and families to church. Ann was an excellent marksman who was referred to by her fellow hunters as “Annie Oakley”. She loved the outdoors and spent much of her retirement years exploring the great Pacific Northwest with her husband. In 1996, Ann and Ed relocated to Northport, AL to be closer to Ann’s eldest sister, Ola Harding Franks. As her health declined, Ann returned to Portland to be close to her daughter Juanita and her family. Ann Johnson was an extraordinary woman. She was known as a prayer warrior whose life experiences made her strong-willed, resilient and sensitive to those in need. After being widowed in 2009, Ann resided in Newberg, OR until her death. She is survived by daughters Nellie Dean Boozer of Keystone Heights, FL and Juanita Ann Swartwood of Portland, OR; Grandchildren include Mark and Kathy Sistrunk of Keystone Heights, FL; Jonathan Charles Moore of Portland, OR and Kirk and Jeanine Moore Cowan of Camas, WA. Great-Grandchildren include: Emily Anne Finchum, David Wesley Finchum, and Adelyn Belle Cowan of Camas, WA. Surviving relatives include Charlotte Skelton, Mike Talley, and Tanya Talley Blakely of Tuscaloosa, AL; and blended family members Ted, Karen, Meagan, Wyatt, Garret, Kaedan, and Taylor West of Gresham, OR; and Thomas, Laurie, Alex and Zach Swartwood of Everson, WA. Close friends remaining include Rev. Steve and Louisa Jaquith of Newberg, Oregon. Ann was predeceased by her husband, Edward Leroy Johnson, of Portland, OR and son, Stephen Richard Blair of Jacksonville, FL.