Obituary of Julia Leigh Johnson

Julia Johnson sang her last note on October 7, 2024, just after midnight with family at her side, captive to the conclusion of an unforgettable symphony whose sound enriched the lives of everyone lucky enough to hear it.

 

The youngest of three sisters, Julia was raised by her working mother Carol and her “Grammy” Anne in east Fort Worth, living in a home affectionately referred to as “Dumpling Manor”. 

 

But Julia’s first love was music and by age 13, she joined childhood friend Susan Allen (Colegrove) to form the guitar-playing, singer-songwriter duo “Glycerin & Rosewater”. The precocious pair performed around Fort Worth throughout their youth and remained friends until the end.

 

Julia grew up during both the Golden Age of Advertising and the Counterculture movement, a dichotomy her life would consistently reflect. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of product jingles, early Hollywood musicals, and the classic rock catalogue. Even the subjects of her birdwatching expeditions: their songs she would know by heart – and she ensured there was always room for more. 

 

Her striking countenance lent her to a successful career in department store catalog modeling, within whose portfolio pages the long-haired, effortlessly-styled, red Karmann Ghia-driving archetypal Muse did befit the Western gaze. But it was that of her own in those photos which suggested an unbridled and timeless interiority that could not be confined to paperback.  

 

Julia enjoyed spending time at Vernon’s Beauty Salon, owned by her loving stepfather Barney Rains, where she formed kindred connections with the women of her community (or could just pop in for a Diet Dr. Pepper without judgment.) 

 

In 1979, Julia married Ed Johnson, Jr., with whom for 20 years she would raise their sons Edward (1980) and Jack (1986) in west Fort Worth. The family of four was active at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church. 

 

As “Mom”, she faithfully answered the diurnal call of her family, whose meals she cooked, clothes she ironed (church and school), bedtimes she enforced, school projects and birthday parties she coordinated, sports schedules she maintained, costumes she made, health she ensured (kids and pets), holidays she decorated and shopped for, emotional and aesthetic sensibilities she cultivated, imaginations she inspired, and evolving interests she shared as the years passed. Truly, to her maternal responsibilities did she devote herself with breathtaking wherewithal, and when old acquaintances would later ask her sons “how’s your mom doing?” – even decades after having last seen her – it was the essence of this woman and the Platonic form of a mother about whom they were inquiring. 

 

Julia stayed true to herself even as an empty nester, reserving space for any soul the world seemed to leave behind. With selfless regard for her own capacity, she rehabilitated a veritable menagerie of animals, fed the homeless, and donated to causes of the underserved.  

 

Her apartment remained an exquisitely-curated Smithsonian of sentimentality, adorned with family photos, personal journals, intricate décor, ornate textiles, vibrant colors, aural signifiers, metaphysical objects, and the artwork of her children, the sum of which mirrored her envisagement of the world as she chose to see it – and how it saw her back: 

 

A singular expression of undeniable beauty. 

 

Julia is survived by sons Edward and Jack Johnson, their wives Jessica Maxwell and Kylie Johnson, her six grandchildren, sisters Nancy Brownlee and Debbie Moore, step-sister Lisa Motheral, step-brothers Marc Rains and Barney Rains, Jr., five nephews, and one niece. She was also survived by a host of dear friends who truly loved her, including Mary Fraser and Susan Colegrove. The family would also like to thank Kathy Newton and her stalwart crew on White Rock Street for tirelessly doting on Mom during her coda.

 

The family will celebrate her life on Friday October 18, 2024 at Thompson’s Harveson & Cole in Fort Worth, Texas. Any who desire are welcome to join the family at 10:00am in the Chapel.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her honor to the National Audubon Society or the World Wildlife Fund.