Imogene Storms Johnson

Funeral services for Imogene Storms Johnson will be held Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 2:00 PM at the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Okemah. Interment will follow at the Highland Cemetery also in Okemah. Imogene Storms Johnson was born March 12, 1921 in Okemah, Oklahoma to Ben and Mae Landers Storms. She passed away Wednesday, September 14, 2011 in Oklahoma City at the age of 90. Johnson inherited a special talent from her mother. She played the piano by ear. During her grade school years at Lincoln School and her high school years at Okemah High, she was constantly called on to play the piano for special events. She sang in the grade school glee club and the high school girl’s quartet. She was a member of the pep club and the women’s basketball team and during her junior year was elected football queen. She graduated in 1939 from Okemah High School. From 1939 to 1942, she worked for the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) at the Okfuskee County Courthouse in Okemah. During the years 1940 and 1941, when Okemah drew crowds of 25,000 to the streets for Pioneer Days weekend, she joined a group of Okemahns sponsored by the Okemah Chamber of Commerce and toured every rural community and school in the region. Johnson played the piano as the Chamber members entertained and promoted Pioneer Days. In 1990, she organized and led a group of Chamber members, dressed in Pioneer Days tee-shirts and baseball caps to the floor of the House of Representatives and State Senate at the State Capitol. The Chamber members extended a warm invitation to House and Senate members and their constituents all over the state to attend Pioneer Days. She was the pianist for the Okemah Kiwanis Club for many years. On December 5, 1942, she married Okemah attorney and state legislator Glen D. Johnson, Sr. While Glen was serving with the U.S. Army overseas, Imogene worked as an administrative assistant for Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. (ONG) in their main office in Tulsa and, later, she served as an administrative assistant for the Vice President for Sales in the corporate office for ONG in Oklahoma City. Following World War II, she lived in Washington, D.C. as the wife of newly elected Oklahoma Fourth District Congressman Glenn D. Johnson, Sr. The Johnsons were blessed with a son, Glen D. Johnson, Jr., born April 20, 1954 in Oklahoma City. In 1966, her husband was appointed chairman of the Oil Import Appeals Board, a three judge administrative panel with representation from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Interior and Commerce. The Johnsons returned to Washington D.C. with their young son. Due to her husband’s illness, the Johnsons’ returned to Okemah in 1972. During the mid-70’s, Imogene was assistant city clerk and assistant city treasurer for the City of Okemah. She was an active member and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary, a member of the Okemah Chamber of Commerce and a member of PEO. Glen Sr. died in 1983; just two weeks after his son had been sworn in to serve as a new member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In 1999, Imogene received her hometown’s most prestigious honor and was inducted into the Okemah Hall of Fame. And in 2000, an endowed scholarship was established in her name at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma, where her son Glen Jr. served as President from 1997-2007. Wherever Imogene Johnson lived, the nation’s capitol, the state capitol, or her hometown of Okemah, she was always campaigning for her husband, her son and promoting her beloved Okemah. Imogene most recently resided at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City where she enjoyed daily visits with her son Glen, her daughter-in-law Melinda and her many friends and family from Okemah and around the state. During her illness, she received excellent care from Dr. Ron White, Dr. Mark Miles, Dr. Peter Winn, Dr. Vivek Khetpal and Dr. Jim Ford. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Glen D. Johnson, Sr. (1983) and one sister, Gerry Senft of Bellevue, Nebraska who passed away in January 2009. Survivors include her son, Glen D. Johnson, Jr. and wife Melinda of Oklahoma City; niece, Sue Timmerman of Sterling, Colorado; nephew, Darryl Johnson and wife Marcia of Oklahoma City, niece Susan Martine and husband Jack of Oklahoma City, niece Teresa Johnson of Ventura, California; nephews, Mark and Craig Johnson of Ventura, California; sister in law, Virginia Johnson of Ventura, California; and very special cousins: Paula Whiteis of Tulsa, Philip Landers of Okemah, Dr. Phyllis Landers Logsdon and husband Guy Logsdon of Tulsa, Barbara and Ed Landers of Okemah and Beverly Breedlove of Clinton, Missouri. Serving as active pallbearers will be: Randy Compton, Doug Nesbitt, Rob Gardner, Brad Sparks, Dr. Michael Landers and Dr. John Landers. Honorary pallbearers will be Ray Holman, Raymond Scoufos, Sam Moore, Pat Martin, Raymond Overall, Lloyd Pickering and Dr. Bob Klabenes. Family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. on Friday, September 16, 2011 at the Parks Brothers Funeral Home, 301 N. 3rd Street in Okemah, Oklahoma. Services will be under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Home, Okemah and officiated by Rev. Brian Matthews with the eulogy by President David Boren A reception will be held at the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall immediately following the interment at Highland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Glen D. Johnson, Sr. and Imogene S. Johnson scholarship at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Foundation. 1405 N. 4th Ave. PMB 4187, Durant, OK 74701.

Imogene Storms Johnson

March 12, 1921 - September 14, 2011