Evelyn M. (Everett) Johnson

Evelyn Mae Johnson (nee Skopic/nee Everett)

Boardman: Evelyn Mae Johnson, 95, entered into her eternal rest on January 3, 2021, and her family is confident she was welcomed into the loving arms of both her husbands and her son whom she has missed terribly.

Born Evelyn Mae Everett on September 10, 1925 in Youngstown, Ohio, she was the second child of John Dabney Everett and Jesse Fisher Everett. A lifelong Youngstown resident, she attended East High School, but graduated from The Rayen School. Despite finishing her schooling at Rayen, she remained a lifelong East High Golden Bear at heart. After graduation, Evelyn began a career in retail, working at McKelvey’s, JCPenney, Strouss and Montgomery Wards. She met her husband, John Skopic, a homebound Marine, in 1945 when she boarded the wrong train on a trip home from Washington D.C. This fortuitous mistake was the beginning of a love story that lasted a lifetime. John and Evelyn married in 1946 and had three children, David Skopic, Kathy Syphard (John “Mac”) and Holly Prystash. They made their home in Boardman until John’s untimely death in 1972. Evelyn remained in the home that John built for her until she died.

In 1974, Evelyn began another great love story when she married Chris Johnson. With Chris, Evelyn found wanderlust. Together, Evelyn and Chris traveled the world. They spent their honeymoon driving cross-country for 2 months to explore the beauty of the U.S., but also spent much time in Europe. It was not unheard of for Chris and Evelyn to spontaneously wake up in the wee hours of the morning and drive 3 hours to Canada just to watch the sunrise over Niagara Falls. They also were known to take the VERY long way to visit Chris’ son, Chris Johnson, and his family in Virginia, making stops in small towns along the way. Further, they enjoyed doting on their grandchildren together. She has missed Chris’ love, companionship, and their adventures together since his death in 2013.

Evelyn and Chris were also avid gardeners and found great joy in spending hours cultivating a magnificent landscape in their backyard that their family and the local birdlife truly enjoyed. Often, the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society used their backyard as a backdrop for meetings. Above all else, however, Evelyn loved being a grandmother. She and Chris were known to go to school concerts obscenely early to secure, “the best seat in the house.” She also never missed an opportunity to brag to friends and strangers alike about her “kids.” In addition to her children, and stepson, she leaves 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren to cherish her memory.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Jesse Everett; husbands, John Skopic and Chris Johnson; son, David Skopic; sister, Marian Johnson; and brothers, Gene Everett and John Everett.

The family would like to acknowledge the kindness of Evelyn’s neighbors, David and Susan Kohout, who were wonderful friends to her over the years. Always willing to check in on her and keep her company, they helped Evelyn’s family keep her in the home she cherished (“the house John built her”) in her final years.

Due to COVID-19, funeral services will be private.

Arrangements are being handled by Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home, 270 N. Main Street in Poland.

Condolences may be sent at www.beckerobits.com.