Vera Mildred Johnson
April 21, 1915 – January 21, 2016
Vera Mildred Johnson, daughter of Jaroslav and Mary Pelch and sister of Arthur Pelch, died peacefully in her Auburn, Washington home on January 21, 2016, family beside her.
Born in 1915, Vera was raised on a 40-acre farm in Covington, then went on to earn a BA in English from the University of Washington where she met and later married Donald Winston Johnson, a metallurgical engineer, in 1941.
Vera lived a fulfilling and happy life as wife to Donald and mother to three daughters: Karen Johnson Freeze, Robin Lynn Raphel and Deborah Johnson-Perea. She was passionate about education, women’s rights and loyalty to her country and family, and radiated love and integrity as she created a warm and inviting home. While the careers of her husband and family allowed Vera opportunities to travel extensively, she maintained lifelong friendships from her youth with the local “Meridian Gang,” as she endearingly called her girlfriends, all now deceased.
Vera is survived only by her daughters Robin and Deborah and her grandchildren Katherine, Christopher, Alexandra, Anna and Elizabeth. For more information, tributes and guestbook, please visit www.washelli.com.
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