Adella Johnson

Adella Pasterczyk Johnson, 100, a resident of Ozark, Alabama, died peacefully at her home on May 14, 2020.  Adella was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts to Andrew and Karolina Pytko Pasterczyk, immigrants from Poland through Ellis Island, NY prior to 1910.  She was the sixth of nine children.  Adella graduated from Chicopee High School in 1938.  A chance meeting at a USO gathering with a southern Army Air Corps Soldier, Travis Johnson, led to a romance and marriage that lasted over 62 years. Adella worked at the Springfield Armory as a gun barrel inspector during World War II.  After celebrating the end of the war together at Time’s Square in NYC on VJ Day, Travis and Adella settled in Dale County, Alabama on Travis’s rural family homestead, building a life full of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and 1 great, great grandchild.  Adjusting to a new life in the South was one adventure after another, the stories were always great entertainment for the family.  Adella was one of the four founding members of St. John Catholic Church in Ozark, having Mass in one of the founder’s basement until ground was broken for the Church to be built in 1955.

Those preceding her in death are her husband, Travis N. Johnson, Sr., daughter Joan Johnson, great-grandsons Nicholas and Noah Johnson, brothers, John, Stanley and Rudy Pasterczyk, sisters Connie Starczyk, Natalie Sagan, Irene Bizon and Laura Wiaderek.

She is survived by sons Travis Johnson Jr., David Johnson, Tim (Jan) Johnson and Gordon Johnson, daughters Paula (Fletcher) Dawson and Carol (Jerry) Holder and one sister, Rita Collins.   Grandchildren Brian (Amanda) Johnson, Jason Johnson, Stella Johnson (Jacque) Ballay, Lillie Johnson (Cesar) Nunez, Mark Johnson, Cole (Jamie) Johnson, Travis Johnson III, Rachel Holder (Luke) Eden, Amelia Holder (Gavin) Ross, Caroline Holder, Jordyn Dawson, Samantha Dawson.  Great Grandchildren Justin Boles, Molly Elmore, Lucas Johnson, Kaitlynn Carpenter, Rusten, Catherine, Sawyer and Briggs Ballay, Gabriella and Evie Nunez, Ellis Johnson, Ruby Ross.  Great great grandchild Chance Boles.  Numerous nieces and nephews who were all very special to her.  No services will be held at this time, a private memorial gathering will be held at a later date.