Edna Rose Johnson
February 11, 1918 - May 14, 2018

Edna Rose (Seaforth) Johnson passed away peacefully on Monday the 14th at Village House with her sister by her side surrounding her with love. Edna was born on February 11th, 1918 to George Russel Seaforth and Miriam (Richards) Seaforth Buchanan. Her 100th Birthday was celebrated with 58 family members and friends in attendance.

She is predeceased by her 6 brothers: Stanley, Ralph, Robert, George, Earle, and Frank Seaforth. She is survived by her beloved sister Miriam Smith and brother-in-law Robert Smith.

She leaves a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins whom she loved dearly. She was an aunt who gave of herself in so many ways. They learned so much from her and especially family history. Having no children of her own, they were her children. She was the matriarch of the family.

Edna graduated from Rogers High School in 1935. When she got married she moved to Washington D.C with her husband. She worked for Rock Creek Ginger Ale Co. while living in D.C. When her marriage failed she decided to go to Boston where she had spent a lot of time growing up during visits to her grandmother. She got a job working for Bank Boston Insurance Co. as an actuary until she retired in 1984.

She was a wonderful seamstress, learning how to sew at 8 years old in the Girls Friendly Society at Trinity Church. The teacher who taught her became her teacher in high school when she took a sewing class. Most of her time was spent on pulling old clothes apart and creating something new for her to wear to school. She was a child growing up during the depression years. There was no hand me downs with six brothers and gangs of boy cousins. She became very accomplished at making most of her clothes.

Edna was an avid reader. When she wasnt sewing, she had a book in hand. As well as sewing her clothes, she became interested in quilting. She became a very passionate about quilting in the 1980s. She became quite good at her craft. She was invited to do a workshop demonstration in 1989 at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA. She donated two of her quilts to church bazaars, one in RI and one in CT. The rest of her quilts went to family members.

She loved to travel. She made a two-week trip to Japan to their Expo. She also went on a safari in Africa ending her trip in Nairobi, Kenya to visit a friend of her sister. She became great friends with the Gachukia family on that visit. She ended up traveling to Nairobi three more times. On her last trip she helped her young friends put together enough clothes to stage four fashion shows during the World Conference of Women in Nairobi, which was very well received.

Another interesting trip she made was through the purchase of a bus pass, good for unlimited travel for 90 days. It allowed her to travel anywhere in the country and parts of Canada. The last trip on the pass was to the Kentucky Derby where she saw Secretariat win the race.

Edna was born in the oldest continuously owned house by an African American family in the US, which was the Rice family home. She will be greatly missed by her sister and brother in law and all her nieces and nephews.

Ednas family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the caregivers at Village House Nursing Home in Newport.

Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 19 at 11:00am in Trinity Church, Queen Anne Square, Newport.

The family requests that donations be made in Ednas memory in lieu of flowers, to the Building Fund of Trinity Church, where Edna was a lifelong member. Trinity Church, Queen Anne Square, Newport, RI 02840.

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