Linda Johnson

Linda Lee Johnson was born on December 2, 1948 to Roberta and Emery Dakin. Linda was the third of six children. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, brother Emery, and sister Elaine (Michael). Linda is survived by her husband John, son Johnny, daughter in law Annette, grandson Andrew, three brothers Howard (Brenda), William (Denise) and Floyd, mother in law June, brothers in law Rich, Chuck (Patty), and sister in law Toni. Linda also leaves many nieces and nephews. Linda grew up in the small town of Searsport, Maine where she attended school and graduated from Searsport High School in 1967. In 1966, Linda met the love her life, John Johnson. They dated for a year before getting married December 28, 1967, her parents’ anniversary, at the Methodist Church in Searsport. Linda (AKA Linder) never lost her love for Maine lobster (AKA lobstah) and walking on the shore picking up sea glass and shells. As newlyweds, Linda worked at a shoe factory in Bangor, Maine helping to make ends meet while John went to Vocational school and worked part time. Times were tight but their love got them through! She had a blue 64 VW Bug with a soft top sun roof. Boy, did she love that car! Linda’s life ambition was to live in a house trailer and raise monkeys. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way – even though they were living in a trailer, two years later on April 22, 1969 she had her own human monkey, her son Johnny. He was he most precious gift that could have ever been given to her and John. In 1972, they packed up and moved to Northglenn, Colorado where they bought a house on Linda Sue Lane. The craziest thing ever. Linda Sue Lane. Everywhere we would go people asked: “Is your middle name Sue?” Linda had the privilege of being a stay at home mom. She just loved spending all of her days with Johnny. As he grew up, Linda was able to start doing some baby sitting at home. She just loved kids. That is when she started watching the neighbors’ Paula and Art’s daughter Ashley. They worked so many crazy hours, Linda raised her as a daughter. She became “their daughter from another marriage”. She loved Ashley. They would go and do many fun things together including getting lost downtown. Which was pretty scary for the both of them, however, they did eventually make it home. Linda was not one with directions. Her directions would be like “drive to the corner of where the big blue house is and turn right, go to the green and brown house & turn by the church. You can’t miss it”. While Johnny was growing up Linda got involved with the Cub Scouts as a Den Leader and a Den Leader Coach. She volunteered at Stuckey Elementary and joined the Women’s Hose Team with the West Adams Fire Department, where John was a Volunteer Fire Fighter. The stories that came out of there, well let’s just say were the craziest thing anyone has ever heard. Linda met her self-proclaimed sister Janet, John’s best friend Tim and their daughter Shannon, Johnny’s self-proclaimed sister, through the Fire Department. They had many great adventures together and to this day are still close friends. Racing and hunting was also a big part of Linda’s life. She was such an avid hunter “NOT”!! She would go sit and wait for the animals to come by. As soon as they appeared she would just watch and let them pass on by and not shoot them. Needless to say, that was the last time she went hunting with John and Johnny. Now about Racing – wow there are so many stories. The best one was when Linda got volunteered to drive John’s race car in a powder puff race at Fort Morgan, CO. on the dirt track. They got her in a fire suit, put John’s helmet on her head, but it was so big for her that it would stay straight ahead when she turned her head, put pillows behind her back so she could reach the pedals and off she went. Let’s just say a turtle was faster than she was on the race track. She decided she would leave the racing to her guys. In 1989 she met her future daughter in law, Annette. The two of them became inseparable. In October of 1990 they became family. They went everywhere together. Even four-hour long shopping sprees. Getting up early for Black Friday staying out shopping all hours of the day and night. However, their main outing would be going to Blackhawk. Linda loved them Penny slots! One time they won over $1,200.00. That was only one time but, they did keep going back over and over because they knew that one day they would hit the big JACKPOT!! The most enjoyable time they had was their drive up the mountain. Oh, the talks they would have! They both couldn’t wait for the guys to go hunting so they would have their Girls Night! From pajama parties to Chinese food you couldn’t pull them apart for very long. Then on March 2, 1998 her grandson was born. Wow, she was right there from delivery. She then got to do her favorite thing all over again – helping to raise Andrew. What a joy that was for her. She was able to teach him everything from potty training, ABC’s, numbers and countless days of reading. The fun they would have daily, with trips to the Zoo, Dave and Busters, Boondocks, shopping, swimming, trips to the park, Karate, Hockey and the favorite of both, eating out! One time they went to Jack In a Box and Linda wanted to try Andrew’s hamburger. She liked it so much, she ended up eating the whole thing and had to get Andrew something else to eat. Linda also volunteered at Andrew’s elementary school, Stellar, where she remained as a volunteer for 10 years. Oh, my goodness how she loved doing that. She would go in every day to take attendance in the office, then running off down the hall into the work room to do all the projects for the teachers which she loved to do. That was her favorite thing to do. She would even bring things home to cut out, paste and staple just so the teachers would have their stuff the very next day. She strived to have all the work caught up every day before she left. We told her to just apply for the job there, but she refused because she thought then it would be a job she would hate it. She just kept on being the BEST Volunteer they have ever had. The relationships she made were priceless. She just loved everyone there. Linda loved to cook, however baking was her favorite and WOW the goodies she would make. From cookies, cakes, pies, cupcakes, she did it all. We wanted her to open a bakery, but she thought she wouldn’t make it because she was too picky. Everything always had to be perfect. If not she would re-do it until it was. Her crafting was the same way. She loved it. Crafting was her get-away. It relaxed her and she loved to make things for others. There is just so much to say about Linda. She just was an overall GREAT person with so much love and friendship to give everyone. There was not one person in this world that met her that didn’t just love her. Linda was dearly loved by all and will be truly missed but never forgotten.