Obituary: Margaret Rosebud (Rogers) Johnson - Class of 1967

MADISON - Margaret Rosebud Johnson (Rogers) [age 50] departed from the earth on Saturday, October 21, 2000, following a brief illness. Born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1949, she was the daughter of the late Anna and LeRoy Rogers. She was raised on the South Side of Madison and enjoyed a very active life, being involved with summer theater through the park system and numerous extracurricular activities at the South Madison Neighborhood Center and the Blessed Martin House. She attended Franklin Elementary School. A 1967 graduate of Central University High School, she was a member of the marching band and orchestra. Along with three other friends, she was a member of a singing group called the Hot Cha's (Central’s Little Supremes). In 1972, she graduated as a registered nurse from the Methodist Hospital Nursing School. She worked many years as a psychiatric nurse for Methodist Hospital and the Mental Health Center of Dane County. Later she became the Customer Service supervisor for the Wisconsin Education Association Insurance Trust. She surprised many by retiring a few years ago. But she couldn’t stay retired, and started her own business, MJ Legal Nurse Consulting. Margaret, also fondly known as “Sister,” is remembered as a loving, giving, caring person who was good at keeping secrets. One friend commented, “She was always there when you needed her.” She was a doting mother and grandmother. In recent years, she had also become a collector of assorted dolls. Although raised in the St. Paul A.M.E. Church, she later affiliated with Mount Zion Baptist Church. She is survived by four sons, Andre Johnson Sr. (Kristin), William Miller, Jamah Johnson (Jessica) and LiArri Johnson; three grandchildren, Andre Jr., Lenai and Jamah LeAndre; a sister, Margaret Mae Brown; three brothers, Bart Rogers, Leroy Rogers and George Rogers; beloved nieces and nephews, cousins, and numerous close friends. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Margaret R. Johnson Scholarship Fund. A memorial service will be at noon on Saturday, October 28, 2000, at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3810 Speedway Rood, Madison. Friends may greet the family from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday. The "SISTER” with a sweet spirit.

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on October 24, 2000. Submitted by Michael Vahldieck (Class of 1968).