Virginia (Ginny) Ruth Johnson; The youngest of a family of ten children, Ginny was born on October 3, 1915 in Kenton, TN. She died on May 9, 2011. Proceeded in death by her parents, Archie and Sally Poole; her nine older siblings; her first husband, Hadley Voelker; and her second husband, Robert Johnson.
Ginny is survived by her sons Roger Voelker of Tucson, AZ and William Voelker of Osceola; a grandson, David Allen Voelker of Mishawaka; her granddaughters Ruthanne Kirkwood of Fort Wayne and Karen Lopes of Honolulu; seven great grandchildren and eleven great-great grandchildren. For many years, along with her first husband, she operated the Hively Avenue Market and Garden Center in Elkhart. In 1971 she was named Elkhart Businesswoman of the Year by the American Businesswomen''s Association. When Hadley died suddenly the night before construction was to begin on a long anticipated new building, she went forward with the construction anyway and continued to operate the business along with her son, William until her retirement in 1976. In 1977 she married Robert Johnson, with whom she shared her life for the next 34 years.
Visitation will be held from4-8 pm Friday, May 13, 2011 at Chapel Hill Funeral Home in Osceola. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, May 14, 2011 at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, with interment to follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.
She was for many years a member of the First Church of Christ Scientist in Mishawaka, where she served two terms as Second Reader. Following the closing of the Mishawaka church she attended the First Church of Christ Scientist in South Bend, and also attended the Augustana Lutheran Church in Elkhart where Robert attended and where she and Robert were married. In October, 2010 nearly 100 friends and family attended her 95th birthday celebration. Her radiant love will be very much missed by her family and her many friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the American Red Cross.