Mary Clark Johnson

Mary Clark Johnson passed away on December 26, 2019 at age 96.   Daughter of Horatio David “Duff” Clark and Florence “Flo” Stubbs Clark of Massena, NY, Mary outlived her beloved husband of 63 years, Davis G.  Johnson, Ph.D. formerly of Springfield, MA and sisters Catherine Burns of Sewaren NJ and Helen Coffey of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.  She was the proud mother of five children: Douglas Johnson, M.D. (wife Betsy) of Springfield, MA , Gail Lehman (husband Dale) of Needham, MA, Joan Johnson (husband Rob) and Lynn Johnson of Fort Collins, CO, and Richard Johnson (wife Judy) of Goffstown, NH; grandmother of Shyloh, Brad, Karin, William, Alex, Erica, and Kristina, and great-grandmother of Katherine, Lincoln, Justinian, Jane, Storry, Logan, May, Everly, and Daniel.

A native of Sewaren, NJ, Mary graduated from Woodbridge High School, NJ in 1940 and Mount Holyoke College 1944.  After two years of service as a Navy WAVE in Kingsville, TX in WWII, she earned her MA degree in Student Personnel Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1946.  Mary taught English at Pacific Beach Jr. High School in CA and was the Women’s Counselor and Director of Social Activities at the University of Bridgeport, CT before her marriage to Dave in 1949.

Soon a homemaker with five children, Mary was Vice-President of the League of Women Voters in Fayetteville, NY, a Cub Scout leader in Syracuse, NY, and PTA board member in Evanston, IL.  She served on the Board of Trustees of Unitarian churches in Evanston and Bethesda, MD and worked for ten years as Instructional Aide at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD.  Mary and Dave moved to North Hill in Needham in 1999, was active with the library and musical groups, and enjoyed time there with daughter Gail who moved to Needham in 2011.  Mary enjoyed taking trips with Dave to Africa, Alaska, China, Egypt, Europe, Greece, Japan, and Russia, and loved spending nearly every summer from 1933 to 2018 on Seventh Lake in the Adirondacks in upstate NY with family.

Contributions in her memory may be sent to First Parish in Needham, Mount Holyoke College, or to the charity of your choice.

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