Lillian Irene (Haywood) Johnson, age 95, of Brady, Texas passed away Sunday, February 27, 2022 in Brady, Texas.
Lillian was born October 9, 1926 in Mercury, Texas to Ambrose C. Haywood and Lena Mae (Penn) Haywood. She attended schools in Milburn, Placid, Rochelle and Los Angeles. At the age of 16, Lillian was employed at the Brady Aviation School at Curtis Field during WWII. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where she worked at the Goodyear Defense Plant and did volunteer work at a military hospital. Her federal career began in 1949 as a clerk typist in Guam. This was a big adventure for the Texas girl. Her career spanned additional positions with the Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C. After returning to Texas in 1964, she worked at the Johnson Spacecraft Center, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. She retired in 1984 after 34 years of service.
She married William Johnson on February 18, 1951 in Washington, DC. They had two sons, William Jay Johnson and Robin Dale Johnson. Shortly after retiring, she and Bill moved to Brady, where her parents were living at the time. She was a lifelong Methodist and member of the First United Methodist Church in Brady, where she was active in the Susanna Wesley Circle and a long-time volunteer with the Heart of Texas Hospital Auxiliary and the F.M. “Buck” Richards Library. Her passion was working and volunteering for Mental Health and Mental Retardation. She helped establish a workshop in Alvin, Texas and after moving to Brady became a member of the MHMR Advisory Board in Brownwood and was a staunch supporter of the Wesson House Group Home in Brownwood, where her son Jay resided. She seldom missed delivering homemade treats and gifts on holidays and birthdays.
A memorial service for Lillian Johnson will be held at 2:00pm Saturday, March 19, 2022 at Leatherwood Memorial Chapels in Brady with Reverend Bun Jackson officiating. Burial of Lillian’s cremated remains will follow at Rochelle Cemetery in Rochelle.
The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Leatherwood Memorial Chapels. Friends may view Lillian’s Memorial Video Tribute and/or sign her online memorial guest book at www.leatherwoodmemorialchapels.com.
Lillian is survived by son William Jay Johnson of Brownwood, Texas; sister Carol Dowling and husband Mike of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren Sunnye Daye Johnson, R.D. Johnson, II and Elizabeth Kay Johnson; great-granddaughter Violet and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lena Mae and A.C. Haywood, husband William G. “Bill” Johnson, son Robin Dale Johnson and sisters Evelyn Farris, Helen Harris, Sue Glidden, Margaret Posey and Gloria Dodd. Memorial contributions in memory of Lillian Irene Johnson may be made to Rochelle Cemetery Association, P. O. Box 51, Rochelle, Texas 76872 and/or the Wesson House Group Home, 2209 11th Street, Brownwood, Texas 76801.