Jean Johnson

JEAN JOHNSON "Having served her generation according to the will of God" (Acts 13:36) Ruth "Jean" Johnson, 91, died Monday, January 3, 2012 at home. Jean was born February 24, 1920, in Minna, Nigeria, to Guy W. and Elizabeth Christie Playfair, missionaries with Sudan Interior Mission. She grew up in Ontario, Canada and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Columbia Bible College in South Carolina. Jean was the first candidate to join New Tribes Mission's fledgling group and married Bob Dye in Bolivia in 1943. Several months later, Bob and four other missionaries disappeared while they were attempting to reach the nomadic Ayore Indians. It was five years later after making a friendly contact with these Indians that Jean learned these men had been killed. Jean remained in Bolivia, eventually reaching Bob's killers with the gospel of Jesus Christ and beginning translation of the Bible into their language. She also worked on translating the Bible into Spanish and into the Yura tribal language. On December 6, 1956, Jean married Larry Johnson, and in 1958 they returned to the U.S. to help establish a training program for new missionaries, first in Wisconsin, then moving to the Lake of the Ozarks in 1968. Jean taught principles of Bible translation and literacy, as well as French, Portuguese, and Spanish. She has written three books: God Planted Five Seeds, the story of the five missionaries who were killed and the friendly contact of the Ayores; When Things Seem Impossible (first published as God at the Controls), an accounting of missionaries taken hostage in Colombia and the pilot, her nephew Paul Dye, who escaped in the middle of the night; and To a Shepherdess, short messages for women missionary trainees. Jean served tirelessly to prepare missionary candidates and consult with veteran missionaries, enabling them to learn new languages and cultures with the goal of communicating the gospel to tribal people who had no other chance to hear. She deeply loved, and was loved by her husband, her kids and her Lord. She is remembered by many for her graciousness and for her godly wisdom from the Word. Jean's parents, two brothers and stepbrother, and husband Larry preceded her in death. Jean is survived by her son Verne and wife Denny, of Camdenton (also continuing missionary work in Ivory Coast, West Africa); her daughter Margie and husband Tom Schlatter, of Camdenton; six grandchildren: Chris Wohlgemut with husband Josh and son Jack, Seth with wife Anna Johnson, Matt Johnson, Bob Johnson, Jeremy Schlatter and Lori Schlatter; and five nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at 2:00 p.m., with the Reverend Bob Aubuchon officiating. Memorials may be made to New Tribes Mission, 1000 E First Street, Sanford FL 32771. Allee-Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Camdenton assisted the family with cremation arrangements.