On Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 Madeline Johnson had her best celebration yet as she entered glory to be with the Lord and join that great cloud of witnesses. She was 80 years old. She lived with energy and purpose and did not fear death as she looked forward to seeing her Saviour. Her life was marked by service in creatively sharing the love of Jesus and by a deep gratitude.
Gladys Madeline May was born on November 29, 1939 to Rev. & Mrs. R.J. White, completing the family with older brothers Gordon and Samuel. Her parents were serving as Pentecostal pioneer preachers in Merritt B.C. The family moved and ministered to communities where needed: Vernon, BC in 1942, Hughenden AB in 1949, Claresholm, AB and then Newbrook, AB in 1956. At Newbrook, Madeline caught the eye of her eventual life mate (Mel Johnson), and after gaining credentials at the University of Alberta, she returned to Newbrook to teach school.
Mel and Madeline were married August 20, 1960 and moved to Swan Hills, AB, to pioneer a church for the new oil town. Barry Mark and Auralee Esther were born during their six years there. Churchbridge, SK became home for the next 12 years as they enjoyed life in the church and wider community. Kelly Paul was born in 1967 and later that year Auralee tragically passed away. David Jae was born in 1969. The family moved to Paradise Valley, Alberta in 1978 to take on what would be Mel and Madeline’s final pastorate. With church sponsorship, the community welcomed two families from the Vietnamese refugee boat crisis. When the church needed to expand onto parsonage grounds, Madeline took the opportunity to design their first home on an acreage outside of town.
An offer for Mel from World Vision drew the family to Calgary in 1984. As always, Madeline continued to be a key supporter in Mel’s work but she also trained as a Power Engineer and was hired by SAIT after her graduation. Madeline’s keen interest in helping new Canadians led her to set up Agape Language School. With this experience, she founded Cooperative ESL Ministries to support churches in mobilizing, training and equipping volunteers to do what Jesus asked: love our neighbour in practical ways. In this case it was assisting new Canadians with acculturation and English language acquisition through both formal and informal avenues. She was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal by Prime Minister Harper in 2012.
Mel and Madeline progressed into semi-retirement by building a cabin at Sunnyside Retreat Centre in Sylvan Lake, AB and moving there in 2013. This was a special place where her parents had moved a summer cabin 70 years before. Her prayer was that this camp setting would continue to be a place where people experience God in ways that lead to personal and societal transformation. Madeline requested that if any donations were made at her passing, that they could be directed to either eslcooperative.ca or sunnysidecamp.org – which is no surprise given her heart for lasting and meaningful change!
Madeline touched innumerable lives in significant ways and we give thanks for the way she lived with such grace. Her devoted husband, Mel, and her three boys and their families feel the loss of her earthly presence. Barry and Jessie (Connor, Keenan and Nicole), Kelly and Barb (Erica, Aimee, Logan and Courtney), David and Natalie (Nathanael and Owen) hope that our lives can carry on her legacy of faith and love in action.
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Gladys Madeline May Johnson April 15th 2020..
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Décès pour la Ville: Red-Deer, Province: Alberta