Melvalene “Mel” Johnson

Melvalene “Mel” Johnson, 77, passed away peacefully at her home on July 16, 2020. She is preceded in death by her husband Arthur R. Johnson Jr, her daughter Tyndall R. Johnson, and her sisters Debra Johnson and Verdie Smith. She is survived by her sons Arthur R. Johnson III, Erick V. Johnson, Kevin D. Johnson, and Darryl O. Johnson, her twelve grandchildren and her five great grandchildren.

Mel was born on November 5, 1942 in Mesa, Arizona. Her formative years were in Phoenix. She and her sisters participated in a variety of civic and social groups. She greatly enjoyed singing and playing piano in a music group with her friends and would often mention that time with fond memories. She attended Phoenix Union High School and graduated in 1960.

Mel went on to attend Arizona State University with an eye towards becoming a teacher. Her plans changed when she met Arthur Johnson Jr. who was a member of the United States Air Force. He was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale and they were married in 1962.

Mel travelled the country as a spouse of a service member. Along the way their family grew to include one daughter and four sons. Upon returning to Arizona she worked for local Phoenix companies; Motorola, Revlon and TechScan.

Her desire to teach resulted in her teaching and mentoring those she loved. Her passion for music, baking, fashion design, sewing and gardening was passed along to her loved ones.

Mel had a full and contented life and could most often be found working in her garden or cataloging new recipes. She was extremely proud of her family and had great faith in believing that they would remain close and supportive of one another.

She was deeply loved by her family and will be sorely missed.

A memorial celebration of life will be held at a future date. Thank you for keeping her family in your thoughts and prayers.