Anna Rose Johnson

Anna Rose Van Valkenburgh Johnson went to be with her Lord on Friday, October 2, 2015, at the Blue Valley Senior Living, in Blue Rapids, Kansas. She was born on a farm west of Blue Rapids, KS on September 21, 1920 to Arba Van Valkenburgh, a World War I veteran, and Rosey Della Saville. Her mother died in childbirth so Anna Rose was raised by her maternal grandparents, George Lincoln and Augusta (Swanson) Saville. Her father remarried in 1923 to Muriel Austin. Anna Rose was baptized in the Blue Rapids Methodist Episcopal Church. In her youth she helped her grandpa deliver and sell strawberries from town to town in a horse drawn wagon. Grandma had her assist with watering the garden and the cemetery flowers. She enjoyed the Blue Rapids Fair at which grandma always had a fried chicken booth. While attending Blue Rapids High School she participated in pep club and cheerleading, lead in operettas, girl’s glee club, girl’s sextette, Senior girl’s quartet, plays and musicals, even singing on the radio once. She graduated in 1938. On March 1, 1939, Forrest Lloud “Punk” Johnson of Oketo and Anna Rose were married. Punk preceded her in death on October 1, 1999. They had no children but enjoyed a host of relatives, friends and neighbors children and their cats and dogs through the years. They resided on a farm near Oketo raising champion Guernsey cows, near Sabetha and in the Oketo and Marysville area. Johnson’s HyKlas Grocery Store in Oketo was owned and operated by them from 1951 to 1971. They enjoyed dancing and taking trips to visit relatives and friends in Nevada, California, Missouri Colorado and Iowa. When grandpa Saville died in 1940, Punk and Anna Rose brought Grandma Saville to Oketo to live with them until her death in 1967. Anna Rose was a member of the Oketo United Methodist Church including the United Methodist Women, Choir, Sunday School teacher and church treasurer for many years. She was also a member of Royal Neighbors Lodge, RSVP, Bridge group, Oketo Community Club, Oketo Fire Department Auxiliary and served on the election board. She loved to make ham loaf and zucchini casseroles for church and community dinners. The Marysville Advocate’s local Oketo news was written by Anna Rose for many years. She delivered various newspapers in the area, worked in Downards and Boogardts grocery stores in Marysville and IGA & Allen’s grocery stores in Wymore, NE and was a sample and demonstration lady at Walmart until she was 87 years old. Anna Rose kept a treasure of family and local stories, clipping and photo over the years. She loved to write and receive letters and cards from relatives and friends. Church, family and school reunions were very important to her. In her last years, Anna Rose reside at the Elm Street Apartments (2005) in Marysville and then the Blue Valley Nursing H0me in Blue Rapids (2009). She is survived by her sister-in-law, Margaret Johnson, Marysville; cousins, J. Lester and Olive Hooper, Manhattan; and many nieces, nephew, cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; grandparents; step-mother; and husband. Anna Rose requested that there be no funeral or graveside services held. She will be buried in the Marysville City Cemetery beside Forrest. Memorials are to the Oketo UMC or Oketo UMW, and can be sent in care of Kinsley Mortuary in Marysville, Kansas To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Anna Rose Johnson, please visit our flower store.