Grandma Johnson died this morning. She was 94. She was back at the nursing home, still agitated as hell but did get some relief with pain meds before she died, according to one of her children.
I rooted around and found some swell old pictures of her:
Lenore Johnson, Rachel Rardin, and Louise Johnson. Early, maybe even in Oklahoma. Sam Johnson met her in Oklahoma and then her family moved across the country. He followed shortly thereafter, hitchhiking and working his way. I think he had $14 to start his journey but I might be mis-remembering that amount. He had to go find his future bride come hell or highwater.
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Rachel Johnson and her mother Ocal on November 29, 1934. Rachel was a new mom here.
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Margie and Rachel, maybe in 1952/3/4?
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Rachel in 2002 at her 89th birthday party.
I’ll come and say goodbye, gramma.
compu-diva.com 
lovely old pictures. there’s something about them that reminds me of the tv series carnivale. have you seen it?
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No, I haven’t seen Carnivale. Is the similarity about the era? Or that big, rawboned Okie thing?
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What great photos; thank you for sharing them. I love stuff like that. I am sorry for your loss, but hope that the passing brings peace. (hugs)
Carnival takes place in the dust bowl in the Depression; the setting is a traveling Carnival/circus with freaks and … well, freaks. Mental and physical. It’s also the story of good vs. evil and gets very … strange. It’s hard to describe. It was a great show, though, up until the end.
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carnivale is fabulous, eerie and freaky. in the photo of rachel with her mother, she reminds me of my favourite character who’s a little bit tomboyish and has a cropped bob and gorgeous freckles
it’s well worth hunting it down. have you ever seen Deadwood? that was another good series
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The photos made me think of Carnivale as well! What great little snapshots of history these are.
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NM and all – I’ve always thought Rachel looked like a happy transvestite in that picture. Tomboy to the nth degree? I’m not knocking her. She was a big strong woman who worked her ass off for a long, long time.
She looks a whole lot like my cousin David in that picture. Or vice versa.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, everybody.
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