N. Ellen (stephens) Johnson

N. Ellen (Stephens) Johnson, age 78, of Tuscarawas, entered her well-earned heavenly reward from the home of her son and daughter-in-law Thursday afternoon, August 26, 2010, following a courageous battle with cancer. Born at Gnadenhutten, January 6, 1932, she was a daughter of the late Joseph D. and Eunice Grimm Sewell. Ellen graduated from Dover High School with the class of 1949, and promptly went to work in the offices of Joy Manufacturing. There she would spend the next forty-three years working as an executive secretary, retiring in 1993. She was a member of St. James Lutheran Church at Tuscarawas, and for more than thirty years, was an active member of the Tuscarawas County Administrative Professionals Association.An avid reader, Ellen also enjoyed working crossword puzzles, taking bus trips to enjoy casino life and playing cards. A plotter and planner of the first order, she and some close friends were nicknamed “The Golden Girls”and were known for solving the world’s problems in a single evening. She’ll be remembered for being the life of family parties, being quick with one-line quips, being an excellent cook, baker, housekeeper and loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She and her late husband Leslie T. (Les) Johnson spent winters together in Wildwood, Florida, where Ellen became active in The Red Hat Society. Ellen’s family includes three sons; Michael J. (wife, Carol) Stephens of New Philadelphia, Matthew J. (wife, Susan) Stephens of Dover, Mitchell J. (Wife, Cheryl) Stephens of Dover, and a daughter; Melissa J. (husband, John) Beebe of Canton.She’ll be sadly missed by her grandchildren; Stacy Stephens, Dr. Crystal (husband, Gavin) Gould, Lindsay (husband, Brandon) Begue, Kelli Stephens and Wesley Beebe. Four great-grandchildren; Parker Boughner, Lainey Begue, Erin Cline and Alisha Cline also survive. Three sisters; Ginger Cline of Canton, and Lynn (Linda) Bair of Bolivar, Marilyn Hinyard of Oklahoma, and two brothers; Tom Sewell of Cleveland Heights and Tim Sewell of Dover complete the family. In addition to her parents, and husband Les, whom she wed in 1993, Ellen is preceded in death by four brothers; Robert, Daniel, James and William Sewell. Ellen’s family will receive friends Saturday morning (TODAY) from 10 – 11 AM in the Geib Funeral Center of Dover where Pastor Blanche Tyree will lead Ellen’s Funeral Service at 11 AM. Inurnment will follow in Dover’s Maple Grove Cemetery. Following the committal service, family and friends will gather for a reception back at the Geib Funeral Center of Dover. Those unable to attend are invited to share memories and condolences with the family by visiting the funeral home’s website. In gratitude for their exemplary care, Ellen’s family requests that memorial contributions be made to Community Hospice of Tuscarawas County, 201 West Third Street, Dover.