Obituary of Marilyn H. Johnson

To the Memory of Marilyn “MBJ” Johnson:

 

Marilyn Johnson was a “class act” and a beautiful soul. With her stylish wardrobe, Birkenstocks with flashy socks, a twinkle in her eye, and proper diction, she devoted herself to her children, faith and to elementary education - through which she found satisfaction in doing something she truly believed in. She was inspirational as a daughter, sister, friend, teacher, wife, and especially as a mother. She so loved being a “Grandmolie,” and then a “G.G.”

 

Marilyn was born in 1932, and grew up in Moro, Illinois, the daughter of George and Marie Hendricks. She graduated from Washington University in St Louis. She and her sister Shirley were the first girls in town to attend college, where they excelled. Marilyn graduated in 3 ½ years, with honors, in 1954 and received her Masters in Education in 1958 from the University of Illinois. Marriage whisked her away to teaching and motherhood in California, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Indiana, California (again) and finally arriving in Charlotte, Vermont in ‘68 while still a young mother. There, she loved the rural community, and spent the rest of her teaching career a short way away at the Shelburne Village School. She appreciated the “mixture of people from all walks of life” in these peaceful, small towns.

 

As a mother, Marilyn welcomed much “creative learning” in her household… art and cooking projects filled the kitchen, pets of every description shared the house, large groups of kids filled the backyard with laughter and pick-up soccer games. Bicycles, skis, go carts and eventually cars raced around the old farm property, where forts and tree houses sprang from the tree lines. Summers were filled with travel, and lazy days at the Charlotte beach, where Marilyn and friends served as “Water Moms” during swim lessons each June. She guided children from a strong foundation of unconditional love and enjoyment, coupled with high expectations. Her children could have no bigger fan, and her enthusiasm for their passions knew no bounds. She raised them, and the children she taught, to be thinkers and entrepreneurs who chased their dreams and “finished what they started.” She was positive and unflappable, and great in a crisis (sorry we gave you so much practice with those, Mom). She became a loyal and well-spoken advocate for each of her children’s many endeavors. Marilyn believed in family, so she welcomed step-children and step-grandchildren into her life, and guided husband Carl into an active relationship with them all. She gave her whole family love and acceptance of a kind that is rare and treasured by everyone she touched.

 

Marilyn delighted in teaching, and was proud of the 31 years she “started children on their way.” Her classrooms were places of welcome and innovation, and she found a fulfilling career within the progressive, holistic-learning pilot program she pioneered with Marian Stroud and colleagues in the Shelburne/Charlotte community. The Multi-Age Program (first called Alternative Staffing), began in the 1970s, bonding the towns in a unique public school experience - emphasizing individualized learning (especially in reading and math), freedom of expression, child-directed choices, and children helping each other. The teams of teachers were able to use methods they knew would work with young students, in groupings of first to third graders, and fourth to sixth graders. The classrooms were bursting with science and math centers, kitchens, pets, crafts, reading lofts and a variety of comfortable student work areas. The students thrived! Marilyn’s colleague and friend, Anne Bingham, wrote Exploring the Multi-Age Classroom, describing the concepts of this supportive, inspiring style of elementary education. The program continued on in Shelburne for decades after Marilyn’s retirement.

 

Marilyn was a woman of great faith. She raised her children at the Charlotte Congregational Church, surrounding them with a nurturing community. (Where, from the choir’s lofty perch, she could only helplessly observe the mischievous behavior of her unsupervised boys, and glare at them, to the congregation’s amusement!). Later, she returned to her lifelong spiritual home, the Lutheran Church. Her grandfather had been a beloved Lutheran minister, and Christian teachings “got her through many a trial.” She attended the Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington, Vermont, for many years.

 

Marilyn’s love of learning fostered many interests: reading, volunteering, good friends, knitting, antiquing, travel, (adventures galore with her friend Marian Stroud, and with daughter Kate), and Yorkshire terriers… Marilyn was also a people person, who enjoyed study groups and volunteering her whole life – Ladies’ Aid, Bible Study, National Organization for Women, National Education Association, church choirs, and PEO filled any extra hours…

 

She’ll be remembered for her elegance, intelligent sense of humor always at the ready, and a thumbs up, and her open minded and open hearted love. Her children, her “Yorkies” and successes in teaching were her biggest joys. She spent the last two years of her amazing life at the Elderwood Nursing Home in North Creek, NY, close to her daughter.

 

Marilyn is preceded in death by her husband of 22 years, Carl Johnson, and her sister Shirley Perry. She is survived by her children Kevin (Ann Hutson) of Isle of Pines, SC, Brad Hartley of Tellico Plains, TN and Kate Hartley of Bakers Mills/North Creek, NY, and the Johnson step-family. Grandchildren include Lindsay (Peter) Miller, Madison (Bryan) Kane, Jamison Hartley (Tiff), Samuel Hartley, Justin Schmale and Clayton Schmale. Great Grands are Hartley and Harrison Kane and Graham Miller.

 

A spring 2026 memorial service will be planned for close family and friends. For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to “The MBJ Education Scholarship Fund for Future Educators” c/o Kate Hartley, POB 147, N. Creek, NY 12853