Ann Cornell Johnson, affectionately known as Miss Ann, passed away peacefully after a prolonged illness, on January 8th, 2020. She had recently celebrated her 56th birthday among family and friends, at Kansas Christian Home where she was residing at the time of her death.
Ann was the daughter of Evelyn and James Johnson who precede her in death. She was born in Oakland, Ca. and lived the majority of her adult life in Berkeley, Ca. She relocated to Kansas in 2018 to be closer to family as her health began to decline.
Ann attended elementary and secondary schools in Richmond, Ca and attended Contra Costa Junior College where she earned an AA Degree in Early Childhood Education. She subsequently attended San Francisco State University where she earned a BS Degree in Communications.
Ann loved working with children and worked many years in the childcare industry, and was involved in both Head Start and after school programs for various school districts. Ann’s dream was to start an after school, program dedicated to helping childhood cancer survivors, having survived non Hodgkin’s lymphoma herself.
Ann was pure and simple, a woman of tremendous faith and lived her life accordingly. She had an unwavering love of her Father God, and a quenchless desire to share her love of God with all those around her. Ann started her days on the phone praying with other fellow Prayer Warriors, and in spite of her own health challenges, would take the time to offer a kind word and prayer for others who were experiencing any sort of life challenge.
Ann will be remembered for her quick smile, her love of the color purple and the fancy hats that she wore from time to time with style and grace.
Ann is survived by a sister, numerous cousins in California and a multitude of cousins in Newton and Wichita, as well as many friends in the San Francisco Bay Area. A celebration of Ann’s life will be held at Kansas Christian Home on January 16th at 10:30 am.
Ann was my dear friend. She called us the red phone. She was sweet and kind. She was loved by her friends and family/ She loved my family and she spent many holidays with us in California.
I just recently learned of Ann’s passing..I am stunned. The last time I had spoken to Ann was sometime last year..and I WISH I had called her much more often! ??? I knew Ann since 1982 or 3..from meeting her on one of the Rapid Transit Busses in San Pablo,CA..We both went to Contra Costa College,and we both taught E.S.L . there and loved every minute of doing that.We also worked at after-school programs in El Cerrito, Ca.
I thought VERY highly of Ann and always have. She was a strong woman,and always on the go,and highly positive! She rarely got depressed, which was amazing to me! She kept me happy and others all around her! My hubby Ed got to know her thru me and he really enjoyed hanging out with her. She was my hubby’s groomswoman, in our 2006 wedding. I loved hanging out with her and going to Nations well before both of us got our type two diabetes (and hubby got his)!
We usually had fun..because we both loved going for drives listening to our favorite songs in my car and we likes driving thru our old neighborhoods haunts! We loved hanging out with our other mutual friends too.
Ann was such a great treasure..and my hubby and were blessed with her friendship to be sure! She was loved and liked by soooo many many people everywhere she went!
Both my hubby and I are greatly saddened by her passing! I wanted so much to always always keep in touch!
I hope her friends,family,neighbors and classmates know about her passing and remember her as a shining bright comet zooming thru our universe!