Sarah Ellen Jones Johnson
1943—2022
Sarah Ellen Jones Johnson, 79, of Kermit, W.Va., passed away Aug. 6, 2022.
Born March 11, 1943, in East Point, Georgia, she was the daughter of the late George D. and Mamie Ione Jones.
Sarah received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Emory University in 1963. Three days following her college graduation, a telegram from NASA arrived at her home extending a job offer to work on the RCA Missile Test Project being conducted at St. Patrick’s Airforce Base in Cocoa Beach, Fla. She accepted the offer and moved to Cocoa Beach the very next week.
Sarah’s assignments were divided into segments for security reasons, and many times, she would only see the result of her work when the development was moved into production. She was particularly excited to see her work being integrated with the programs that managed the missile launch arch and pivot as they were launched into space. Her second contribution, where she was able to see the result of her work, was when she was assigned to the team tasked with developing the program to capture the first images of the moon.
As exciting as it was to work at NASA, it would be a trip to the local minute mart and a bottle of baby aspirin that would link her heart forever to the handsome store clerk who said, “I am sorry your baby is sick.” Her response was, “I don’t have a baby.” One year later, Sarah married Raymond Johnson, the handsome store clerk (and returning U.S. Navy Seaman), who gave her a wink when she realized that she had mistakenly picked up the baby aspirin. She then relocated with her husband to Jacksonville, Fla., where her math skills landed her the first teaching job.
Eight years later, they moved to West Virginia. She continued to work as a math teacher for the Mingo County Board of Education while obtaining her master’s in education from Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. In June 2003, she retired. Known for her intelligence and excellent teaching skills, Sarah nurtured and impacted the lives of many students.
Sarah is preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, Raymond Johnson, on Aug. 6, 2011; father and mother-in-law, Dave (Dorothy) Johnson; sister and brothers Mary (Guy) Parker, Leonard (Betty) Johnson, Linwood (Jeannie) Johnson; and brothers-in-law Dave Johnson Jr. and Herschel Johnson.
She is survived by her children Janet (Stephen) Cantees, Roger (Heather) Johnson and Rhonda Johnson (Brice Eck); grandchildren Stephanie Cantees, Lyndsey Cantees and Railey Johnson; sisters-in-law Barbara Jones, Jean Johnson and Carol Johnson; and her brother and sister-in-law Jerry Johnson (Barbara). Sarah also has numerous nieces, nephews and cousins all of which she loved dearly.
The funeral service was Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, at the Callaham Funeral Home in Warfield. Burial was at Mountain View Memorial Gardens in Maher, W.Va.
The family would like to express their deepest appreciation to Dora Rose for the loving care she provided to our mother over the last several months of her life. Arrangements are under the direction of the Callaham Funeral Home, Inez.