Obituary of Penelope Louise Johnson
Penelope Louise Johnson, age 82, a lifelong resident of Joliet, passed away Thursday, March 14, 2024, at Silver Cross Hospital, with her loving family by her side.
Born February 26, 1942, in Joliet, she was a graduate of Joliet Central High School and attended the College of St. Francis. Penelope worked as an air traffic controller for 42 years for the Federal Aviation Administration at their Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora.
Penelope was a loving and devoted wife, mother and sister, who loved the color blue, flowers, decorating, and celebrating the holidays. To know her was to profit from her thoughtfulness, generosity, strength, and caring spirit. Family and friends sought her advice. She was a constant source of inspiration to them and could be uplifting, even at the most trying times of her own life. She was active in the lives of all of her family, especially her beloved great nephew, Drake, and three of her nieces, Yvette, Michelle and Cynthia, whom she raised following the death of their mother. She always thought of others first and how she could be of help to them, and made friends everywhere she went.
She is survived by her loving husband of 33 years, Darnell Johnson; and her daughter, Kendra (Jonathon) Spiva. She also has four step-children, Jennifer Washington, Anthony (Robin) Gaskin, Michael (Detra) Page, and Stephen (Cynthia) Johnson; son-in-law, Deon J. McEwen; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her sisters, Elizabeth “Bette” (Daniel) Fryar, Nancy Gregory, Jeanette “Jini” (Donald) Johnson, and Diane (Ronnie) Thomas; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Kelly McEwen; her parents, Dorothy Robinson and Oscar Gregory; and her brothers and sisters, Shirley Justice, Vivian Byes, Mark Robinson, Billy Robinson, Marian Lewis-Leverett, Louise “Cissy” Fields, Roma Jean Kehoe, Anna Marie “Chee Chee” Gibson, Jessie Mitchell, Judy Roberts, and Debra Lee Ray.
A Memorial Gathering for Penelope Johnson will be held Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 1:00 p.m., until a Time of Sharing at 4:00 p.m., at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road, Joliet. Cremation rites have been accorded and interment in Woodlawn Memorial Park will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in her name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) would be appreciated.
For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com.
