Ella J. Johnson, 96, passed away resting peacefully in her home in the Black Forest, Colorado, on January 2, 2023. She grew up in New Jersey where she met then-Lieutenant Lloyd F. Johnson, United States Air Force, while he was stationed at McGuire Air Force Base. Ella and Lloyd were married for 64 years before Lloyd passed away in 2007. Ella raised her family while traveling through the United States and Europe as the wife of an Air Force jet pilot. When Lloyd was stationed in Colorado Springs for the first time in 1963, both he and Ella fell in love with Colorado and decided to retire there one day. Their dream came true in 1975 when Lloyd retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and he, Ella, and their children moved into the home they built in the Black Forest.
Ella was a beautiful young lady who attended business college and worked for AT&T as an executive secretary and, later, as a legal secretary for a law firm. She was also a notary for the State of Colorado. As a busy mother of four children as well as various family pets, she spent many years volunteering her time for the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and the El Paso County Weed Commission, among other entities. She also devoted many hours to typing school papers for her children during the late-evening hours, sewing lovely gowns for her daughters, knitting, and crocheting. She was a voracious reader and accumulated a large library of books. Her other talents and interests included piano playing, horseback riding, cooking, gardening, and raising flowers and plants. She also had an uncanny knack for finding four-leaf clovers, and it was not uncommon to find four-leaf clovers pressed between the pages of books around the house. Ella was particularly passionate about plants, flowers, and gardening. She maintained a large family vegetable garden for many years, landscaped her home with bushes and flowers, and planted many new trees and shrubs on the Black Forest property. She seemed to know the name of every plant she saw and was reputed to be able to generate a healthy plant from a seemingly dead stick.
Ella is survived by her four children, Amy Jablonovsky, Claire Fitzgerald, Lloyd Johnson, Carolyn Busacca and husband Carl; three grandchildren, Matthew Mayes and wife Heather, Caitlin Fitzgerald, and Sean Fitzgerald; two sisters, Shirley Borgerding and Joanne Saccomanno; and numerous nieces, nephews, and their children.
A memorial service for Ella will be held at Shrine of Remembrance, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, Colorado, at 2 PM on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Ella’s ashes will be interred at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado, near her husband Lloyd, at 1:30 PM on Friday, January 27, 2023. Condolences may be posted at www.shrineofremembrance.com or sent to the family at The Johnson Family, 11520 Brinkerhoff Rd., Elbert, CO 80106.
Donations in Ella’s memory to charities Ella supported are encouraged in lieu of flowers. Donations can be made to the Humane Society at Protect Animals | Give a Gift – The Humane Society of the United States or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at Donate in Honor – Donate in Memory | St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org). The family would very much appreciate receiving an email or card through the mail so that we may thank you for remembering Ella through a donation in her memory. If sending a card via email, please send it to nosnhojdc@outlook.com. If sending a card via mail, please mail to The Johnson Family, 11520 Brinkerhoff Rd., Elbert, CO 80106.
Liz Humeston
13 Jan 2023May you RIP dear lady. Thank you for the gift of knowing you, and sharing the love of the Forest with us. You were a worthy Matriarch of Brinkerhoff Rd. Love, Liz and Jim
Larry and Joyce Varvil
14 Jan 2023Our prayers are with the family as you grieve the loss of your mother and our friend of 46 years. Know that we will forever remember Ella as a friend who could always be counted on. Jesus said “in my Father’s house are many rooms…” “I am going there to prepare a place for you”. May she now Rest In Peace in that room Jesus prepared for her. Bendiciones de Dios. ✝️?
Vanessa Walker
14 Jan 2023Lloyd and Ella were more than clients, they were friends. I was blessed to have you in my life. Vanessa
Michael and Joan Clark
17 Jan 2023We knew Ella in these latter days of her life and were blessed to have made her acquaintance! She was a very precious soul who showed much kindness to us. When we came to visit with her intending to bless her, we always left blessed ourselves. We will greatly miss our visits with you, Ella!
Judy von Ahlefeldt
24 Jan 2023Judy von Ahlefeldt
A very special lady – lucky to live on a very special, and cared for property in Eastern Black Forest. Thank you Ella, for introducing me to Black Forest’s rare birdsfoot violet in the mid-1990s – and for being a great friend to Ruth Ann Steele. Lloyd, and his rare understanding of Forest Stewardship, is also missed. Rest in peace!
Don and Ginger Fager
25 Jan 2023Ella was a friend and client for many many years She and her husband Lloyd were great stewards of the land. Their love of nature and taking care of it will always be remembered. She will be missed but she is home now God has received another angel. RIP sweet lady