Stella Johnson

June 8, 1934 - August 4, 2020

Stella Johnson, 86, of Columbia, passed away on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, at her home. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2020 at 1:00 PM at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Columbia. A visitation will be held from 12-1 PM on Saturday at the church. Services will be available to view via Facebook Live. The livestream will start at 12:00 PM at https://m.facebook.com/htmayfuneralhome/. Stephens is an unincorporated community in northwest Callaway County, in the state of Missouri. The community is one mile east of Cedar Creek and the Callaway-Boone County line. There, Elijah and Julia Hickem welcomed their only daughter, Stella Louise on June 8, 1934. Over time she’d be a sister of Otha Lee, Nathan Eugene, Curt William “Peter Mos”, Robert Leon and James Edward. Ms. Stella attended Douglass School in Columbia. She met and fell in love with James Wendol Johnson. They remained sweethearts for life, 65 years as husband and wife. Together they raised Sandra, James (Butch), Archie, and Kathy. Grandchildren are Bryant, Barron, Becky, Brent, Tony, and Russell. One brother James E. Hickem. 15 great-grandchildren, 10 great great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, one daughter and five brothers. When her children were young, she worked at the Moon Valley Country Club and cleaned private homes. She later went to work as a Home School Communicator for Columbia Public Schools. She worked at Field, Grant, and Russell Boulevard Elementary Schools. EVERY one has a personal story of how she fostered their success/the success pf their children. She provided positive impact each day to every child/family in the school. Teachers were blessed by her presence and quiet direction. After her graduation from Stephens College, she rejoiced on the sidewalk outside the venue that her Pap would be/was so proud that his girl graduated and walked across the stage he’d worked so many years to keep clean. Ms. Stella was a teen mom. She had two children by the age of 18. Later she married the babies; daddy and made it work! She was a charter member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church where she served as Deaconess, Sunday School Teacher, Youth Leader, Church Treasurer and attended functions in the Mount Carmel District Association. In more recent years she has been an active attendee of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. When she retired, she purchased, had renovated and directed Mr. and Mrs. J’s African-American Family-Centered Institute. There she taught Black History in an after-school program, provided tutoring and GED training all at NO cost to participants. Each spring break, attendees and their families were taken on an across-the-country field trip to places and memorial which had been studied. She was an achiever, determined defeater of the odds. When she put her mind to something, it got done!