Betty Johansson Obituary

Betty Joyce Johansson(July 1939 - August 2023)On August 30th, 2023, Betty Joyce Johansson passed away peacefully at her home in Marietta, Georgia at age 84, with her loving and attending husband of 64 years, Peter Johansson by her side. Born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan to parents Morley Herbert and Marie Marguerite Gillson, the family soon moved to Morristown, NJ. As a young woman she loved music - played first violin in high school, became an accomplished pianist, and taught herself to play both trombone and accordion (think about that, those are not exactly beginner level instruments, and there was no YouTube then!). She loved handcrafting, knitting, rug-braiding and many other crafts. She met the love of her life, Peter Johansson in New Jersey, while she was attending nursing school. The story of their meeting is too good to pass over here. After initially meeting through mutual friends, Peter sent her a telegram indicating a degree of "smitten-ness. " Unbeknownst to him, she had recently been pursued by another fellow named Peter, and was unsure which one of them had sent it. Needless to say, the ever-persistent Mr. Johansson persevered, and the rest is history, as they say. They married on June 13, 1959 in a double wedding ceremony shared with her sister Jean. They started their own family in West Orange, New Jersey, giving birth to three children there. The family relocated to Valley Cottage, NY, then to Acton, Massachusetts, for the birth of their fourth child. Shortly thereafter, Betty resolved to finish her nursing degree and worked part-time as a nurse's aide to do so, all while raising their young children. She graduated with an Associate Degree in Nursing from Middlesex Community College and worked as a Registered Nurse at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts. In December, 1976, Peter accepted a transfer to Atlanta, GA and the family packed up the moving truck in the middle of a Massachusetts blizzard and journeyed South to Marietta, GA, permanently saying goodbye to 20-inch snowstorms. Southerners mistook the structure of her name, and she became known as "Betty Jo" by friends and colleagues, which she found endearing and did not bother to correct. She accepted a nursing position at IBM for several years, but with time became less involved in patient care and made a mid-career shift, becoming a Dealer Marketing Specialist at IBM. She finished out her working career as a Systems Planner with Wellstar Health System in Marietta. Anyone who knew Betty knows that family was the very center of her world. She dedicated herself to her family, and as it expanded (and continues to expand), she welcomed every generation with unmatched love and attention. She took an active roll in helping raise her grandchildren, and was viewed as not only "Mumma" but as a friend and confidant to all her progeny. She never missed a single occasion for anyone of them, and as family grew and spread out across the country she came to know the workings of the USPS with mathematic precision so that cards, gifts, etc, would always arrive ahead of schedule, usually to the day. She had a avid fondness for collectibles, and there are trails of Precious Moments and Beanie Babies across the Southeast to attest to this. There are likewise cupboards full of unique kitchen gadgets, which for most of us went quickly from superfluous to absolute essentials, as her fondness for the latest and greatest gadgets continued throughout her life. She loved to cook and bake and gather around a large table with family. She passed this love of family meals and traditions on to each of her children and grandchildren. And of course, a holiday gathering would not be complete until she sat behind her beloved baby grand piano, where she would cycle through the Christmas classics by memory, with her lively arrangements that would take most people an extra pair of hands to pull off. She was a passionate crafter for her entire life, and each new addition to the family would know they were a "Johansson" when they received a hand-knitted Christmas stocking with their name atop it. As her medical needs increased, she embraced modern technology to communicate on a daily basis with kids, grandkids, siblings and her many adored nieces and nephews across the U. S. She was not your typical retiree with a smart phone - she quickly mastered the Emoji lexicon and was proud to keep up with each technological breakthrough while many in her generation threw their hands up at it all!She will be dearly missed by so many, but will always remain at the center of the family, our Mom, our "Mumma," our "Aunt Betty," our "Betty Jo. " Her insistence on keeping family bonds forged and tempered will remain her loving legacy. She is survived by her husband Peter Johansson and children Cindy Henricks, Laurie Palaio (Pace), Chip Johansson (Sherry), and Jeff Johansson (Kristin), as well as her brother Bill Gillson (Janet). She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister and brother-in-law Ruth and Robert Goodell, sister Jean Crane, and brother Bob Gillson. She will be forever smiling on those that were perhaps dearest to her of all in her golden years, her grandchildren Kristen Ropp, Meredith Russell, Nick Palaio, Josh Johansson, Emily Johansson, Zachary Henricks, Tess Johansson, David Collings and Kate Collings; as well as great-grandchildren Cameran, Austin, Savannah, Rory, Margot, Jameson, Poppy and Lyndon. As an devoted dog-lover, we know that her Petal, her Brandy, her Shadow, and her Winfield will all be eagerly awaiting to be reunited with her. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any contributions be directed toward the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a cause that was very important and dear to her. There will be a private celebration of life for the family on September 16th, 2023, but we welcome any and all comments and memorials to Betty via this page or directed to the family:https://www2. jdrf. org/site/TR?fr_id=9412&pg=personal&px=10457333"May your heart always be joyful,May your song always be sungAnd may you stay, Forever Young"Betty Joyce Johansson(July 1939 - August 2023)