Louise Anita Johnson

Louise Johnson (Francoeur, Rowe), 8/6/1944-3/5/2024

Louise was the first-born child of Lloyd and Jeannette Francoeur of Kankakee, Illinois.  An airman in the South Pacific during WWII, her father was notified via telegram of his daughter’s healthy birth.

Louise married Dale Rowe, Jr. of Joliet, Illinois, in 1964. They had four children over the next several years. In 1976, the family loaded their belongings and an Old English sheepdog into their Volkswagon bus and drove west to a new start in Crescent City, California.  A year later, their fifth child was born.

In 1989, she married Jerry (E.J.) Johnson, and they were partners in heart and art until his passing in 2022.  Jerry was the love of her life; he was a sculptor, and she was a painter.  Louise and Jerry worked together in their studio for hours. They passionately embraced the “starving artist” term and were always volunteering their time.  Louise helped manage several galleries and and was a long-time member of the Lighthouse Art Association and the Crescent Harbor Art Gallery.

Louise had a lifelong passion and talent for art.  She worked on several murals in Crescent City with her artist friends. There is one spanning the length of the community indoor pool, and another at the Redwood National Park visitor center in Hiouchi.  She painted dozens of commissioned portraits.  She painted the backdrops for school plays and graduations.  Every holiday when her kids were young, she would paint the big picture window with a holiday scene- pumpkins, an Easter basket, etc.  She later transitioned to stained glass art, and was very successful.

As a homemaker, she was a pioneer in the DIY trend, and Louise really could do just about anything.  She always forged her own path, embraced computers and the internet early on.  Gardening was a favorite pastime, and with every new project, her energy was boundless.

After Jerry’s passing, Louise said goodbye to the California redwoods, and with her beloved dog Tibet, she relocated to Central Oregon to be near family.

As her illness progressed, the staff at Chinook Place and Partners In Care hospice rose to the challenge of her care.  Her family is forever grateful for the thoughtful and considerate treatment Louise received from the staff.  From activities to comfort, Louise was shown dignity and respect.

When asked to describe Louise, people would use words like colorful, creative, energetic, passionate, and fiercely independent. 

Her spirit lives on in the beauty she left behind in both memories and artwork.

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