Mrs. Roberta Thames Johnson, war bride of the late Loren Marion Johnson, 92, passed away in the care of Hospice of Charleston late Sunday, March 17, 2013.
Mrs. Johnson was born in Hampton County to the late Annie Eliza Mixson Thames and Jessie James Thames on July 26, 1920. After attending nursing school, she accompanied her older sister to California to meet her husband. There Mrs. Johnson met and married Marine Corps officer Loren Johnson and lived there several years before Loren was shipped out to the Pacific Theater and ultimately to Iceland and China.
The Johnson's settled in the Varnville area, after the war, where Mrs. Johnson worked in several local medical practices throughout her career. Her love of her Lord and the families she served sustained her for many years. Her gift of nursing also served her well as she cared for her then invalid husband to the end of his life.
Surviving is her only child, Gerald Johnson and his wife, Kathy of the Isle of Palms, grandchildren, Casandra Johnson Bell (Jimmy) Laurens County, Carl Johnson (Angela) Mt. Pleasant, Majors Cayton Johnson (Robin) Afghanistan and Killen, TX. Great-grandchildren: Loren Holland Bell, Katheryn Rose Bell, Ava Corinne Johnson, Annabelle Cay Johnson. A brother, Edward Thames (Verna Mae) of Beaufort; a sister, Barbara Thames Johnson of Lexington and many nieces and nephews: a sister-in-law, Edith Patillo McKinney, 101, of Kilgore, TX. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a great-grandchild Savannah Johnson; four sisters, Inez Gibson, Bessie Owens, Frances Kaskin, and Sheila Smith.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 21, 2013, 12:00 pm at Sand Hill Baptist Church, Varnville, SC. Burial will follow at the Thames Family Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.
In lieu of flowers, for those who wish, donation may be made to Coastal Christian Preparatory School, Scholarship Fund, 681 McCants Drive, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 or Hospice of Charleston, 676 Wando Park Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.