Madalyn Marie JOHNSON
Madalyn Marie Johnson, 71, of Edmonton, Alberta, passed away on August 14th, 2024, after a short battle with cancer.
Madalyn was born on October 18th, 1952, to Alec and Anne Hancharuk, in St. Paul, Alberta. After graduating from Ashmont High School, she went on to work at the Forestry and Hansard departments of the Government of Alberta.
On July 28, 1979, Madalyn married Bruce Johnson. They had one son, Geoffrey, and remained happily married until Bruce’s passing in 2023.
Madalyn was a green thumb, maintaining gardens both at home and at the cabin where she and Bruce spent many summers. They were avid travellers, covering much of Europe in their youth, and South and Central America in retirement.
She was passionate about nature, taking many long walks with friends through the Edmonton River valley, and with Bruce on their travels.
She loved to cook meals and bake for family and friends, and passed many Ukrainian family recipes to anyone who wanted them (though no one could quite reproduce them, not having her improvisational confidence).
In later years, Madalyn was a proud and loving Baba to her twin granddaughters, Isobel and Frances (though according to them, she was not Baba, but Bobby). She looked forward to hosting them for lunches, reading them Winnie the Pooh stories, and generally spoiling them.
Madalyn was predeceased by her parents Alec and Anne, her husband Bruce, her brother Howard, and her sister Marian. She is survived by her son Geoff, daughter-in-law Eilana, granddaughters Isobel and Frances, brother Jim, and sister Betty.
An informal service for both Madalyn and Bruce will be held in the summer of 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Monarch Butterfly Fund (https://monarchconservation.org/about/mbf-story ) a cause Madalyn and Bruce felt strongly about after visiting the Mariposa Monarch in central Mexico.
We will miss seeing Bruce and Madalyn on walks in Holyrood. They were lovely, kind, gentle folks we wish we had known much better. We always enjoyed the time we spent visiting and laughing together.
We were so sorry to hear about Madalyn’s passing. She and Bruce were wonderfully close friends – despite the distance between us. We’ll miss our regular “correspondence” via texts and emails – exchanging thoughts about everything, from good book titles to political ideas, and everything in between. Our most sincere sympathies to Geoff and the whole family. ❤️
We were so sorry to hear about Madalyn’s passing. She and Bruce were wonderfully close friends – despite the distance between us. We’ll miss our regular “correspondence” via texts and emails – exchanging thoughts about everything, from good book titles to political ideas, and everything in between. Our most sincere sympathies to Geoff and the whole family. ❤️
We were so sorry to hear about Madalyn. Despite our move to Ottawa we stayed in touch, sharing photos and news about life and grandchildren. We have so many special memories of good times with Madalyn and Bruce at Fork Lake, Mexico, Edmonton and parking lots during covid. Such lovely, warm, friendly people, they will really be missed. Our sincerest condolences to Geoff, Lana and family.
Janet and Gerald
We met Madalyn and Bruce the first time they stayed at Hotel Las Mariposas in Oaxaca. Our rooms were next to each other and we enjoyed sharing laughter, drinks, and good conversation. We wee so happy when they returned to the hotel again. Such special, vibrant, open people. Both will be missed.
I have nothing but great memories of my Aunt Madalyn. From her visits to the farm in my youth, to my visits to see her and Uncle Bruce in the city, with long bicycle rides on the trails, to picking apples from the trees in her yard. I loved seeing the treasures they gathered from all over the world. My condolences to cousin Geoff, your parents were truly one of a kind! I don’t think I’ve ever seen them without a smile on their face. They are dearly missed and gone far too soon.
I will always hold fond memories of Madalyn and Bruce. They were wonderful people with kind hearts and generosity. Growing up they were a positive influence on me, and I always felt welcome in their home, like a second family. My heart goes out to Geoff and the family, I hope you cherish those memories and know the world was a better place for having them in it.