Johnnie Ruth Wilson
Johnnie Ruth Wilson, 93, of Asheville, North Carolina, passed away May 6, 2024.
Johnnie was born on Dec. 1, 1930, to Arthur and Flora (Kitchens) Stovall in Fayette County, Al. Raised on a farm at the beginning of the Great Depression, she picked cotton and corn, wore homemade dresses, fed the chickens (much to her chagrin), played with numerous cousins, swam and was baptized in a pond.
At Carbon Hill High School, she was elected Miss Carbon Hill and graduated with the honor of Valedictorian in 1949. She went on to be the first in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor of science degree from Florence State Teachers College (University of North Alabama) in 1953. There, she met her beloved husband of 68 years, Walter Lee Wilson, who was also the first in his family to attain a college degree after serving in the Marines during the Korean War. Having ducked bullets and bombs and survived the freezing winters, he returned, graduated, and married Johnnie on Aug. 1, 1953 at Carbon Hill First Baptist Church.
Their first residence was Mobile, Al., where Johnnie taught 9th grade math to students without cellphones or calculators. Due to Walter’s business career, moves to Birmingham, Al., Cincinnati, Ohio, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, and Signal Mountain, followed. The last stop lasted 40 years before they relocated to Asheville, NC to enjoy their twilight years with family.
While in Birmingham, their son, James A. Wilson (Beth Ann), was born in 1958. In Cincinnati, the angels intervened to grant Johnnie the birth of a daughter, Lynne S. Weinrib (Stephen) in 1963.
Johnnie was an avid reader and spent many hours in public libraries. She was also a sports aficionado, particularly regarding the Dallas Cowboys and the Alabama Crimson Tide. She was extraordinarily generous and kind, never the one to take the last piece of pie. A long life afforded her the witness of prolific achievements in science, technology, and social growth. She also saw the birth and maturity of three grandchildren:
Matthew Wilson (Mary) of New Bern, NC; Julianne Gray (David) of Atlanta, Georgia; and Claire Weinrib of Washington, DC; and three great grandchildren: Caroline, Henry, and Knox Wilson of TN.
She was predeceased by her husband, Walter L. Wilson, who died June 8, 2021.
Johnnie will be buried at Green Hills Cemetery in Asheville, NC along with the ashes of Walter. She was deeply loved and will be truly missed. Thank you, Dear Mother, for a life well lived.
An online guestbook is available at www.grocefuneralhome.com