Patricia Mays Johnson died March 24 at her home in Malibu at the age of 94 with her family at her side.
Johnson was born March 31, 1917 in Pilot Hill in El Dorado County, Calif. She graduated from what is now known as the University of California, Santa Barbara and received a degree in teaching. After graduating, Johnson taught second grade at Grandview Elementary School for several years during WWII.
Johnson and her husband Charles, a camera technician, started their family of three children, Jim, Bob and Julie, in Hollywood and then moved to Paradise Cove in 1960. The family spent weekends and summers there before buying a home on Point Dume, where they lived for many years. After her husband’s death, Johnson resumed teaching as a substitute and at pre-schools in Malibu and Santa Monica.
“A longtime member of Malibu Presbyterian Church, Pat is best known in the community for her personal care-giving of children, and helping kids with homework and research projects,” Johnson’s family wrote.
Johnson was also an active member of the Malibu Garden Club, Seasoned Saints and an informal sewing club, in addition to playing bingo and attending yoga class every week. She also enjoyed daily walks with her daughter, Julie, around Point Dume Club and Point Dume Headlands, and particularly liked looking at flowers along the way and watching the dolphins and whales. Just last month, Johnson was writing to soldiers and packing supplies to be sent to Afghanistan.
A memorial service will take place April 21, at Malibu Presbyterian Church, 3324 Malibu Canyon Rd., at 1 p.m.