Family, flowers and faith were a few of Elaine (Lineback) Johnson's favorite things. Born in Paris, AR on October 1, 1925, she met her husband, Arnold, from Iowa, on a blind date. After dating long distance, Arn asked, "Do you want to go steady?" Elaine, her heart set on a ring, replied, "What's the point?" Six months after their first date, they married on Dec. 31, 1949. They enjoyed 54 years of marriage until Arnold's passing in 2004.
The newlyweds made their first home in Des Moines, IA, returning to Fort Smith, AR, where they had three daughters, Jan, Nancy and Susan. Kitty Carter Lineback Brockway, the family matriarch, presided over Sunday dinners with Arn and Elaine, and her siblings, Betty (Nelson Wakefield), Lawrence (Mary Lou), Joe (Betty Marie) and Carolyn (JB Shelton) and their families. When Arn took a job at Saint Francis Hospital, the Johnsons moved to Broken Arrow, where Laura was born, and finally to Tulsa. They brought their girls up in the Church of Christ.
At their Tulsa home, Elaine planted a substantial flower garden. In the evenings, she and Arn sat on the patio listening to birds. After retirement, they took road trips across the United States and traveled to the British Isles, Germany, Austria and Scandinavia. When Arn died, Elaine lived in Town Village before moving in with Susan and her husband, Mark. Elaine lived her last four years in assisted living before passing away Oct. 27, 2022 at 97.
Elaine and Arnold valued education, paying for all four daughters' college educations. They welcomed four sons-in-law: Jan to Mike Caster, Marcellus, NY; Nancy to Kevin Wright, Luther, OK; Susan to Mark Jennemann, Tulsa; and Laura to Nathan Hoog, Carthage, MO. They were blessed with four grandchildren, Andy Caster, Amy Jennemann (Tim Martin), Alex Hoog and Katelyn Hoog (Jonathan Terry). Elaine delighted in her four great-grandchildren, Lucy and Cooper Martin, and Latham and Everly Terry. They called her Gigi.
Jan and her mom shared a love of reading. Nancy admired her spunk and love of words. Susan recalled her giving and generous nature. To Laura, she passed along her love of flowers and gardening.
Elaine remained fiercely independent well into her 90s, when health issues forced her to slow down. She was the poster child for "Fear of Missing Out," always ready to take a trip, go shopping or up for a family gathering. Until a few months before her passing, Elaine's mind was sharp as a tack.
She was a woman dearly loved and now missed by many.
Services are Saturday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m., at Moore Funeral Home, Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E. 51st St., Tulsa. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233 share memories at www.moorefuneral.com