Elma (Sis) Iris Johnson, age 88, passed away on October 31, 2020. She was a resident of Colorado Springs for 56 years and was formerly a resident of Minneapolis. She was a Domestic Goddess.
Sis was born on September 28, 1932 to Elmer and Iris (Shinrock) Holm in Topeka, KS. On April 9, 1955 she married Arnie Johnson in a small town in Iowa.
Sis was an extremely selfless, compassionate, giving person. All who know her know this and have felt the effects of her selflessness and love on some level. Her biggest love, her hobby, was babies. In addition to five children of her own, she cared for 50 foster children over a ten-year span. She was their mom while they were in her care and often times developed special, lasting relationships with the biological parents that was ongoing for years past foster care. In addition to being a foster parent, she started the “cuddler” program at St. Francis Hospital. This provided an opportunity for her to cuddle newborn babies, what she absolutely loved to do. After being a cuddler for years, she then continued to volunteer for Penrose St. Francis Hospital over the years in the gift shop, and the front desk logging over 2000 volunteer hours.
One particular legacy of Sis happened every year on Halloween. For over three decades Sis gave out full size candy bars. She would count out two to three trays of 100 candy bars each, averaging between 200-250 trick-or-treaters every year, before saying it was time to turn out the light. She loved seeing all of the children in their costumes and often heard their parents say that they had been coming to her house as children, three generations deep. Her passing on Halloween was the perfect reminder to all of her children to now continue her legacy.
Sis is survived by her large loving family consisting of her children: Dana (Tom) Johnson, Matt Johnson, Palmer (Lori) Johnson, and Katy Myers (Johnson), lifelong family friend she considered a son, Bill (Daphne) Dinnebeil; her siblings Patsy Ingenthron, Sylvia(Ward) Adams; her grandchildren Jeremy (Brittany) Johnson, Ryan (Megan) Dinnebeil, Joe (Ashley) Johnson, Audrey (Ray) Reyes, Heaven Johnson, Kelly and Kylie Berry, Colton (Chelsea) Johnson, Skylar Johnson, Brinkley (Barcley) Myers, Alice Stern, Macy (Deontrae) Cooper, and Brooklyn Stern; her great-grandchildren: Dax and Sophi Johnson, Vivienne and Fiona Dinnebeil, Jack and Belle Johnson, and Bru Elmy Roberts. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Iris Holm, her husband, Arnie Johnson, her brother, Bill Holm, and her son, Jeff Johnson.
A private family funeral will be held on Friday, November 6, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at Shrine of Remembrance, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd. Jim Hinkle will officiate the service. Due to Covid restrictions, anyone outside of immediate family interested in viewing the service via Zoom, please contact Katy Myers at 719- 210-7774.
Memorials in Elma (Sis) Johnson’s name may be made to Mission Possible, P.O. Box 9100, Colorado Springs, CO 80932; www.missionpossible.cc
Tremendous love from her entire family.