Susan "Evelyn" Johnson

Susan “Evelyn” Johnson passed away on October 13th after a 4 year fight with Ovarian Cancer at the age of 78. Evelyn was surrounded by family members as she left this earth to meet her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Heaven. To say Evelyn ‘lost’ her battle with cancer would not be accurate as she fought this insidious disease with everything she had, never once offering to quit along the way.

Evelyn was born on March 25, 1943 in Garfield, New Mexico, the third child to W.A. and Jo Evelyn Wasson. In 1950 the family lost their mother Jo to Leukemia. Being the oldest girl Evelyn took over the role of mother, where she learned to cook and do laundry for the entire family at the age of 7. Evelyn also helped to raise the 3 younger siblings (Rocky, Norman, and Callie) yet still had time for childhood activities especially playing with her cousins from Odam and Sorrell family. Growing up faster than the rest of the family Evelyn seemed to outgrow her older brothers, Larry and Lewis, but in the end was the shortest of the family at 5’tall.

In High School Evelyn was Class President of both the Junior and Senior Class at Hatch Valley High and served as a Majorette on the Varsity Cheer Squad. As a junior Evelyn began dating Danny Johnson, whom she said she met in the second grade, but Dan “Didn’t remember meeting her until Jr. High”. Soon after Graduating the two would wed on October 28, 1961 and remain married for almost 60 years. 

In 1962 just after the birth of their first child, Tony, Dan moved mother and son to Sante Fe to work for Mountain States Telephone Company as a Cable Repair Helper. The family returned to Las Cruces in 1963 and welcomed their second child, Lee, in 1966. In 1970 the family moved to Berino, NM so Dan could concentrate on training and boarding horses until the family retired in 2012 and moved to where they now call home in Alamogordo, NM. 

When asked what her occupation was Evelyn would humbly say “Housewife I guess.” But to her family and friends she was much, much more. Evelyn was a wife; a mother; a grandmother; a sister; an aunt; a caretaker; a friend; a prankster; a fierce domino player; a supporter of  numerous charitable organizations; a Sunday School Teacher; and above all a Christian whose faith God was never wavering. Her warm smile and jovial laugh could light up a room and she will surely be missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her husband Dan; two sons Tony (Julie) of Corona, NM and Lee (Tracy) of Cisco, TX; Grandchildren Dylan (Andie) and Ethan Johnson of Las Cruces, Amanda (Brenden) Lee of Columbus, IN and Ashley Johnson of Weatherford, TX; Brothers Larry (Nancy) Wasson of Georgetown, TX, Lewis (Jan) Wasson of Albuquerque, Norman (Margaret) Wasson of Tjeras Canyon, NM, Callie Smith of Sun City, AZ, and Faye (John) McCloskey of Albuquerque; along with numerous nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. 

A memorial service will be held at 10:00am on Tuesday October 19th at the Church of Christ in Alamogordo, NM (101 Dale Scott St.) to be followed by graveside services at 2:30pm in Hatch, NM. There she will be laid to rest surrounded by loved ones who preceded her in passing. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to your local church or to Cowboys for Cancer Research (C4CR) of Las Cruces, NM.

The Johnson family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home to direct the funeral services.

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