Ruby Kelley Johnson

Loving Wife And Mother, Devoted Friend,

And Lifelong Advocate For Newtown

Ruby Kelley Johnson, 83, of Sandy Hook, loving wife and mother, devoted friend, and lifelong advocate for Newtown, died February 16, at Danbury Hospital, with her family by her side. Born in Houston, Texas, September 7, 1928, she spent her youth in San Antonio, Texas.

An accomplished equestrienne, as a young woman she won the New England Championship for Jumping in Freiberg, Maine.

Her love of travel took her to Egypt, Russia, and Europe, as well as a cross-country trip with the family in a Winnebago to Yellowstone.

Mrs Johnson pursued her education with the tenacity that would become her trademark. She graduated from Texas Women’s College in 1949 with a double major in English and history, and earned her PhD in linguistics from New York University in 1966.

She became a leader in education. She served on several boards, such as the Commission of English Language, published two texts and numerous articles, and was asked to demonstrate the effectiveness of inductive teaching in linguistics before the National Council of English Teachers in Washington, D.C.

It was Mrs Johnson’s passion for education and the potential that she saw in every individual that guided her to serve on Newtown’s Board of Education. During her tenure, she advocated for the building of Head O’ Meadow Elementary School, the addition of dinosaur fossil tracks that once roamed Connecticut to Sandy Hook Elementary School’s courtyard, the addition of calculus and computer science to the high school curriculum, and the addition of a swimming pool to Newtown High School. She was instrumental in the formation of the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team in 1983.

A staunch advocate for those with disabilities, Mrs Johnson was instrumental in the installation of telecoil hearing loops in Newtown’s Municipal Building, Newtown Middle School, and Newtown High School. She helped establish The Friends of Fairfield Hills, and served as a member of the Legislative Council. A visionary who saw the wisdom in strategic planning, she was a respected voice at numerous board and committee meetings.

Mrs Johnson is survived by her husband of 45 years, Kenneth H. Johnson; daughters Kelley T. Johnson of San Jose, Calif., and Joan D. Johnson, and her husband Edwin Kuo, of Pleasantville, N.Y.; and one grandson.

The family will receive friends and family at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown, from 3 to 6 pm, Sunday, February 19. Memorial services will be held at the Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Road, Sandy Hook, Monday, February 20, at 11 am, with a reception following in the church’s lower-level meeting room. In honor of Mrs Johnson’s public service, the memorial service will include “public participation.” The family invites attendees to share a personal story of Mrs Johnson.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to the Ruby K. Johnson Memorial Scholarship, Newtown Scholarship Association Inc, PO Box 302, Newtown CT 06470.

The Newtown Bee      February 24, 2012