Sharon Johnson
May 18, 1935 — April 19, 2022
Sharon was born May 18, 1935, in the old Walla Walla General Hospital to Don and Elene (Tootie) Olinger. She lived on Upper Dry Creek Road north of Weston, Oregon until age 18. After graduation from McLoughlin High School in 1953, she started work at the Bank of Commerce. On September 24, 1953, she married Joseph Roff and lived in Milton-Freewater. During the course of their marriage, she had three children—Debbie, Dixie, and Don. She began working part-time at the bank for the next 20 years as it was more important for her to be a stay-at-home mom to raise her three children.
In 1980, Joe and Sharon were divorced. Two years later, she married Don Johnson in August, 1982. They built a two-story house off Blalock Pond near College Place, and moved in the completed home in February, 1983. They sold Don Johnson Plumbing, and developed Don Johnson Sales into one of the largest horse and cargo trailer dealerships in the Northwest. She retired from the business in 1992, but kept an active interest in the trailers and visited the lot almost every day.
She belonged to several organizations such as the Blue Mountain Riders, Walla Walla Wagon Wheelers, Milton-Freewater PEO, Pythian Sisters, and was a member of the College Place Presbyterian Church.
She enjoyed horses, having had them all of her life, and rode on the Chief Joseph Appaloosa trail ride for 29 years in a row, riding 100 miles in a week. Home cooking was another of her passions, especially with Dutch Ovens.
She loved her family who had all been supportive, especially after the death of her husband, Don in January 2010.
She is survived by three children: Debbie Miller (Dave), Dixie Aichele, (Gary) and Don Roff; four grandchildren: Justin Guild, Tiffany Klein, Nicole Kallstrom, and Wilder Taylor Roff; three great- grandchildren: Brooklyn Klein, Silas Klein and Kadima Kallstrom; one brother, Jasper Olinger; and two nephews, Ike Olinger and Jason Olinger.
The Memorial service will be held at College Place Presbyterian Church, May 6, at 3pm.
Any donations in her memory may be made to the Blue Mountain Humane Society or the College Place Presbyterian Church.
