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Service:
Due to COVID 19 no services will be held at this
time.
Funeral home: Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral
Home
Obituary
Jean (Wilma Jean Boward) Johnson
was born on May 27, 1927 in Middletown, IL, the
daughter of Roy ‘Tad’ and Ida Mae (Bock) Boward. She
met her future husband and love of her life when her
8th grade class visited his high school. Jean and
Delas were married on March 12, 1949 and spent a
wonderful 71 years together.
Jean spent her entire childhood working on the
family farm. She raised all kinds of animals but her
stories about her pigs were always the best. Jean
could run a baler or tend to the livestock; she
could make a delicious meal or build a kitchen
pantry.
Jean was truly a woman of many talents. After Jean
and Delas were married, she worked at the main PX on
the army base, Fort Leonard Wood, where Delas was
stationed. She brought the PX out of a fiscal
deficit and impressed the commander of the unit with
her ability to run the PX so smoothly. The
commander, in fact, was so impressed with Jean’s
abilities that he was able to keep Delas from being
shipped out overseas.
After Delas left the army, he and Jean moved back to
Middletown to help farm her parents land. They
raised their two daughters, Cathy and Connie, on
Jean’s parents’ farm. In 1973, Delas and Jean, along
with Jean’s parents, bought the farm where Delas and
Jean lived for the remainder of their lives. The
farm was their pride and joy. They worked day and
night to turn the farm into their dream. They farmed
until 1998 when they retired. However, farmers never
retire and Jean and Delas kept busy with the
day-to-day operations of their beautiful farm.
Jean loved her family. She loved having weiner
roasts at the campground on the farm. She loved to
spoil her grandkids and great grandkids. |
Jean was active in the Middletown Methodist Church, and she
volunteered for a number of years at the Christian Village Nursing Home.
Jean never had a bad thing to say about anyone. She was the first
person to offer her help and time. Others who met her couldn’t help but love
her. There are no words to describe the amazing woman.
Delas, Jean’s husband, battled
Alzheimers for a number of years. He passed away
October 15, 2020. Jean passed away 47 days later on
December 1, 2020. Forty-seven days was all the
longer love could wait.
Jean is survived by her daughters Cathy ( Jim) Finch
and Connie ( Mike) Conklin; grandchildren: Michael
Finch, Melissa ( Jacob) Kummer, Megan Conklin, and
Haley
(Matt) Gleason; and great grandchildren Jackson and
Isabelle Jean Kummer.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband,
sisters Hazel, Ruby, and Helen, and brother Donnie.
Memorial Donations may be made to Middletown
Methodist church.
Due to COVID 19 no services will be held at this
time. Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral Home is
assisting the family.
Click here to send a note of condolence to the
family of Jean (Wilma Jean Boward) Johnson
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