Jewel M. Johnson

ATHENS: Jewel M. Troyer Johnson, 94, of Athens, OH, died on Monday, January 31, 2022.

A native of Minneapolis, MN, Jewel was an artist; author; and dedicated teacher of grade-schoolers and youth in ND and MN, art education majors at Ohio University (OU), and children of all ages at the Saturday Morning Art Workshop at OU she designed and launched. She developed and was the Director of the After School Program at West Elementary in Athens, a program that served as an exemplar for others in the area. A model for life-long learning, she earned a master’s degree in art education from OU at 45. Her largest project was a 9’ x 10’ canvas sculpture sewn with one-of-a-kind acrylic 3D figures. It was displayed at the OU Alden Library for many months. She also published an autobiographical book entitled, Teacher! Teacher!: Adventures from a one room schoolhouse in Fortuna, North Dakota, at 83.

The consummate volunteer, Jewel spent many years serving in leadership roles at her church, including Sunday School Teacher and Choir Director, and in her community, including OU Women President, PTA President, Brownie and Girl Scout Leader, and Cub Scout Leader. She was a member of the Athens Garden Club, the OU Gourmet Club, and several book clubs. Her love of reading continued throughout her life. 

Jewel was an avid traveler taking separate tours through Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. She and her family took frequent road trips in their camper, including one to Seattle, WA, for the 1962 World’s Fair, and one all the way up to Alaska in 1985 for fishing and sightseeing. She loved the water and particularly enjoyed waterskiing, teaching her children, grandchildren, and numerous friends of the family how to do singles, doubles, slalom, and trick skiing.

She was the beloved wife of Curt (deceased); mother of Wendy Winn of South Carolina, Cheryl  of Athens, Brant of New Mexico, Jay of North Carolina, Dana and wife Terri of Athens, and Todd and partner Andrea of Minnesota; grandmother to Tracy and husband Jarrod, Kristin and husband Ashley, Mandy, Kari, Delaney, Trista, and Collin; great-grandmother to Taylor, Levi, Lila, Arianna, and Aurora; sister to Pearl Stoltz, Laura Hoppel, Everett Henderson, Clinton Henderson, Frieda Abbott, Esther Strittmatter, Alfred Henderson, Leland Henderson (all deceased and all of whom, but the two eldest, were placed in the State School Orphanage in Owatonna, MN due to their father’s premature death), and Majel (adopted, whereabouts unknown); and half-sister to Junior Johnson (deceased), Jennie Freng (deceased), and Leona Noben. She was also preceded in death by her adoptive parents, Harmon and Bertha Troyer, and her natural parents, Fred and Lucenna Henderson. 

Services will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2022, at 2pm at Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home, 168 Morris Ave, Athens, OH 45701 and will be live streamed via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/hughesmoquin. Visitation will be at the funeral home two hours prior to services. A dove release ceremony will be conducted by the funeral home immediately following the service. A Jewel Johnson Celebration of Life reception also immediately follows at the OU Inn. Interment will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, St. Paul, MN.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Ohio University Foundation, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701, designated to The Curtis M. and Jewel M. Johnson Memorial Scholarship [please note designation on memo line]. Link is here.