Obituary of Adella M. Johnson

Adella M. Johnson, passed to eternal rest peacefully at home on June 18, 2024, in State College, PA. She was the daughter of Pauline Jeffers & George King and was born June 20, 1933 in Hooversville, PA. She had a very special relationship with her maternal grandparents, William & Maime Gaines who raised her. She was a beloved mother, mother-in-law, sister, aunt, grandma, granny, gigi and friend.

Adella was preceded in death by her grandparents, parents, sisters Deborah Jeffers and Cynthia Smith, brothers William T. Andrews, Sr and Raymond C. Andrews, Jr.

Her memory will be honored and kept alive by her devoted daughter, Tracey, son-in-law Michael, grandchildren: Adam (Kandy), Devin (Cayra) of State College, Sydney Bello (Fareed) of Elizabethtown, PA; great grandchildren: Lamar, Jayden, Charleigh, Kai, Kamryn and Emiliano; siblings, Charles Jeffers (Althea), Johnstown, PA; James Jeffers (Valarie), Clinton, MD, Rev Karolyn Andrews, Johnstown, PA; Christine King (Butch) Clinton, MD; Charlene Bartlett (Art) Columbia, SC; Godson Kevin King (Dee) Clairsville, OH and Goddaughter TayLee Bush, Johnstown, PA. Also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was a 1953 graduate of Dale High School. She served her country in the United States Marine Corp 1953-1955 during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged, she worked in Baltimore, MD and then Philadelphia, PA before returning to Johnstown in 1961. She became a mother to Tracey in 1962 an they formed an inseparable bond. She was an excellent seamstress and loved to sew. She often made clothes for herself, Tracey, cousins and nieces. She worked as a clerk in Conemaugh Memorial Hospital and a staff assistant for Bethlehem Steel. She was the receptionist at WJAC-TV where she retired from in 1998. To celebrate her retirement, she took her immediate family on a vacation to Disneyworld! She was a member of First Cambria A.M.E. Zion Church where she served in various ministries.

She moved to State College in April 2017 to be closer to her daughter & family. She joined Unity Church of Jesus Christ in February 2018. She has always loved singing and quickly learned the Unity songs.

Praise and Worship was always the highlight of her Sundays. She also participated in the Seasoned Saints Women's Bible Study.

Baking was her superpower! One of the specialties passed down from her mother was her famous apple pie! Her brothers have been known to hide pies from each other! Everyone looked forward to the dozens of cookies she would bake and give to family members and friends at Christmas time. Another tradition we all looked forward to was family brunch usually held the Saturday after Christmas. She would start preparing for this the day after Christmas. We would start with breakfast, including made to order omelets by her grandsons, different things for lunch & then dinner. Relatives & friends would fill every room of the house as we ate & played games. Everyone left with a container of food & their favorite cookies. Nutcups, nut rolls, raisin mumbles & ginger cookies were family favorites! I don't know how she estimated how many cookies to make, but there were always more than enough!

When she wasn't playing with the great grands, she was keeping up with past co-workers, family and friends on Facebook! She also loved to do physical puzzles and was an avid reader. She graduated to puzzles on her tablet and would work on them for hours every day. She was very crafty and did craft shows with Tracey in Johnstown, Altoona and State College. People also looked forward to her pound cakes & zucchini relish! They would sell out every time!

Family was always very important to Adella. She was the driving force for our first family reunion in 1993 and has contributed to every one since then. As the matriarch of the family, she always had a story to share. She literally took care of family members from 4 generations. Of course she loved all of her family, but the 4th generation (Lamar, Jayden, Charleigh, Kai, Kamryn & Emiliano) held a special place in her heart. Granny/Gigi would always get lots of hugs from them and Tracey loved taking pictures of them with her. At every doctor appointment and even when she was hospitalized, people would say that she looked so good for 90. She would smile and say, "And I have 6 great-grandchildren!"

Visitation and the service will be on Wednesday, June 26th at Unity Church of Jesus Christ 2280 Commercial Blvd State College, PA. 9-10am family visitation and public visitation 10-11am followed by the service @ 11am.

Interment will be at Pine Hall Cemetery, 1767 W. College Ave.

Please join us for a Legacy Luncheon @ Unity Church of Jesus Christ following the internment. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Adella Johnson's memory to:

Unity Church of Jesus Christ (Y.O.U.)

2280 Commercial Blvd

State College, PA 16801 Attn: Treasurer

Or online: https://www.ucjc.org/give