Shrewsbury/Worcester – Joyce A. (Kender) Johnson, 76, of Worcester and formerly of Shrewsbury and West Brookfield, died Tuesday June 14, 2011 after an illness.
She leaves her children, Vernon C. Johnson III and his wife, Mary, of Warren; Pamela C. Johnson and her partner, Rich Carroll, of Mexico, Paula E. Francis and her husband, Jeffrey, of Montpelier, Vt. and Christine A. Noyes and her husband, Al. She also leaves her former husband, Vernon C. Johnson Jr. of Shrewsbury; five grandchildren, Hillary, Brian, Ben, Allie and Julia; and one great-grandchild, Taylor. She was predeceased by a brother, Jim Kender, and a grandson, Joel Johnson.
Born in Worcester and raised in Shrewsbury, she was the daughter of the late Francis and Alice (Premo) Johnson and graduated from Shrewsbury High School.
Mrs. Johnson worked as the first Payroll Master for UMass Medical Center. She studied art at UNH and became an accomplished watercolor artist.
A celebration of Mrs. Johnson's life will take pace at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the American Red Cross of Central MA, Disaster Relief Services, 200 Century Dr., Worcester, MA 01606-1256 or to the Alzheimer's Association, 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472. For online condolences, please visit www.brittonfuneralhomes.com.
