L. Patricia Johnson February 24, 1924 – March 3, 2011
L. Patricia (Pat) Johnson died March 3, 2011 at the Clearview Nursing Home in Mount Ayr, (Ringgold county), Iowa after a short bout of cancer.
Louise Patricia ‘Pat’ Eagan was born February 24, 1924, the third daughter and seventh of 12 children to Cornelius Joseph ‘Con’ and Helen May ‘Nell’ (Fagan) Eagan in rural Adair county, Iowa at the farm house built by Pat’s paternal grandparents, John and Mary Agnes ‘Carey’ Eagan.
Pat grew up on the family farm with her many brothers and sisters during the depression years where they never had much but always had enough. She attended country school during elementary years and graduated from Greenfield high school with the class of 1942.
After graduation Pat attended a year of normal training and then taught country school in Adair county, Iowa for a year. She moved to Des Moines, Iowa and worked as a telephone operator. In 1945 she enrolled in the Loyola University School of Nursing and graduated as a registered nurse in 1947.
Following nurse’s training, Pat worked at the Creston, Iowa hospital and in 1950 was hired by Doctors McIntosh and Beamer in Tingley, Iowa. It was there that she met Arthur ‘Clare’ Johnson; they married on November 7, 1950 at Saint John’s Catholic Church in Greenfield. They resided on the Johnson family farm after Clare’s parents, William Albert ‘Bill’ and Mary ‘Edith’ Johnson, retired and moved to Tingley.
Pat continued her nursing career with some private duty work in the area and worked at the Mount Ayr Community Hospital. Her last years of nursing were with Dr. Roy Fell at his private practice in Mount Ayr.
Pat and Clare raised five children on the family farm, Mary Kathleen (Kathy) 1951, Anne Paulette (Polly) 1952, Dianne Louise 1955, Donna Marie 1959 and James Maurice (Jim) 1963.
In 1976 Pat ventured to Cuernavaca, Mexico and spent a year as a volunteer at an orphanage. She returned to Iowa in 1977 and spent time enjoying the role of grandma.
Pat moved to Denison, Iowa in 1982 and began a career as an elder care provider, which she continued for many years. In 2001 Pat came to the Heritage Park Apartments in Mount Ayr, where she lived until her short stay in the Clearview Nursing Home.
Pat enjoyed her 21 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren and was looking forward to the birth of two more great-grandchildren later this year. She was a wonderful seamstress, having sewn her own clothes, including her wedding dress as well as many clothes for her children and grandchildren. In later years Pat attended Bible studies with her friends at Heritage Park Apartments and Kellerton Assembly of God Church.
Preceding Pat in death were her parents, Con (1969) and Nell (1959), her husband, Clare (1991); son, Baby Boy Johnson; grandchildren, Corey Lynn, Trevor Michael, Emily Elizabeth and Swan J. Miller; brothers, Joe, Jim, Ken, Bill and Phil Eagan; sisters, Agnes Mary Lydon and Honorah Ann and Theresa Marie Eagan; brothers-in-law, Edwin Lydon, Merlin Faber, Jack Maeder, Keith Johnson, Lawrence Johnson, Merrill Johnson, Marvin Johnson, Dean Johnson and Merle C. Been, and sisters-in-law, Marcella Eagan, Vi Eagan, Rita Eagan, Marian Soloman and Gene Johnson.
Pat is survived by her children and their spouses, Kathy and Ed Defenbaugh of Fairfax, Missouri, Polly and Gary Hartsook of Shannon City, Iowa, Dianne and Bill Miller of Denison, Iowa, Donna and Nick Siegl of Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, and Jim Johnson of Mount Ayr, Iowa; grandchildren, Aaron and Jami (Gyia and Glory) Defenbaugh, Melissa and Josh (Isabel, Gus and Evelyn) Hintz, Shaun and Kylene (Oliver and Colt) Defenbaugh, Nate Defenbaugh, Jeff (Sullivan and Karrigan) Hartsook, Greg and Christa (Caleb, Lucas and baby) Hartsook, Traci and Dennis Neely, Jill Hartsook, Beth and Joel (Micah and baby) Loomis, Drew Miller, Kari and Elliott (Sierra and Ethan) Miller, Kayla (Coen Avila and Nikko) Miller, Danette Miller, Jordan (Chase) Miller, Joel Miller, Kierstin Siegl, Nigella Siegl, Elijah Siegl, Isaiah Siegl, Ashton Johnson and Alyssa Johnson; sisters, Helen Faber of Emmettsburg, Iowa, Veronica Maeder of Fontanelle, Iowa and Rita and husband Bob Matigue of Wilmington, North Carolina; sisters-in-law, Helen Eagan of Creston, Iowa, Cleone Thompson of Mount Ayr, Iowa, Doris Been of Belmond, Iowa, Cleone Hosfield of Mount Ayr, Iowa, Chrystal Johnson of Waverly, Nebraska and Willadean Johnson of Newton, Iowa; Clare’s aunt, Harriet Long of Mount Ayr, Iowa, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A memorial fund has been established in her name to be decided later.
Services were conducted at the Oakland Cemetery in Shannon City, Iowa with Pastor Barton Shields officiating.
Casket bearers were Jeff Hartsook, Drew Miller, Greg Hartsook, Aaron Defenbaugh, Shaun Defenbaugh and Nate Defenbaugh.
Honorary pallbearers included Jordan Miller, Joel Miller, Eli Siegl and Isaiah Siegl.
