Catherine Johnson

Catherine “Kate” Burger Johnson died peacefully on Tuesday July 2nd.  She is now in the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Kate was born on May 10th 1933 in Newark NJ.  She graduated from Our Lady of the Valley High School in Orange NJ a year early in 1950.  She graduated from Caldwell College in Caldwell NJ in 1954 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Biology. She was a member of multiple school organizations including the school newspaper and yearbook and was included in the 1953-54 Edition of Who’s Who Among College Students.
She applied for and received a graduate assistantship in the Bacteriology Department of the University of Kentucky in 1954.  It was there that she met her husband Roger.  They were married on August 23, 1958.  Following the marriage, she continued her assistantship at the Bacteriology Department until she took a position at the Animal Pathology Department of the Agricultural Experiment Station for the state of Kentucky.  She ran the Poultry Improvement Program and after several years was named the Kentucky State Veterinary Microbiologist with the rank of Assistant Professor.  In 1953 she moved to Frederick when her husband took a job at Fort Detrick.  She also took a position at Fort Detrick in November of 1963 in the Aerobiology division.
When her first son was born in 1964, she became a stay at home mother.  In 1977 she took on a volunteer job at St. John’s Grade School as the Assistant Librarian and became the full time Librarian in 1978.  She loved working with the children and she especially enjoyed reading to them.  It thrilled her when former students would tell her about the love of books she had instilled in them and that they hoped to instill in their children.  She remained the volunteer librarian for 40 years.  She served as a Eucharist Minister at St. John’s church and was a lector there for nearly 40 years.
As an avid reader, she eschewed television, except for her two favorites, “Jeopardy” and “Are You Being Served”.  She also enjoyed travel and went to England and western Europe on several occasions.
In 2012 she began to show signs of dementia which progressed steadily.  She courageously endured this for the remaining seven years of her life.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Roger Johnson, her brother Andrew Burger of Severna Park MD and his wife Chris, her son Andrew Johnson of Ashburn VA,  his wife Margaret and their children Alexander and Samantha, her son Paul Johnson of Newport KY and his wife Jeanne and their children Roger and Miriam.  She loved her family deeply and was deeply loved by them. She was preceded in death by her parents Anna and Andrew Burger and her sister Anne (Burger) Williams.
The family wishes to acknowledge the competent and loving care she received at Somerford Place during the final year of her life.  Additionally, the family wishes to acknowledge Visiting Angels Barb and most especially Belinda, who spent numerous hours taking care of Kate in her final years.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 11 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike , Frederick.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, July 12 at 10:00 am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 118 E. 2nd Street, Frederick.  Interment will be in St. John's Cemetery, Frederick.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are requested to the C. Burr Artz Public Library, 110 E. Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21701.