Irene Edith Irmgard Nowyckyj Johnson

Irene Edith Irmgard Nowyckyj Johnson was born to Lillian Ottilie Anna Bench and Michael Nowyckyj on September 21 1943. She was born in Berlin during a British air raid, with a midwife present. The midwife was upset because Irene's imminent arrival did not allow them to go to the bomb shelter. Irene had many memories of war torn Europe including being in a cattle car with no privacy and being shot at by Russians. After the war, Irene's family needed to leave Germany because her father was Ukrainian and foreigners were no longer welcome in Germany. Her parents decided on Australia, since they wanted to get far away from the mess in Europe. The ship they took, called The Wooster Victory, arrived in Australia on October 6th,1949. As you may have guessed, being a refugee during her formative years had a lasting impact on Irene. Irene met Paul through his sister Carolyn. Paul was in the US Air Force, so Irene wrote to him while she was at BYU and he was stationed in South Korea. Irene married Raymond Paul Johnson December 16th 1970 in the Salt Lake Temple. Her relationship with her husband brought her a lot of joy and was an example to their children in many ways, especially in their retirement years, they were often constant companions. He passed away in 2012. Unable to have children of their own, they adopted Barbara in 1971, and then Jeffrey and Michael in 1980. This was remarkable, all 3 children were adopted within the family. While it was a shock at first to make such a change, she enjoyed watching them grow up and loved being a grandmother. "Gotcha Day" was celebrated every year in April. Her formal education resulted in a BA in Family and Local History and a Masters degree in Library and Information Science from BYU. She has published genealogical articles in Australia, England and the US and the most recent was a joint venture with Professor Eugene Seneta of the University of Sydney, which was published in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography in 2004. From 1986 to 2001 she was employed at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and during that time she also participated in the making of the popular PBS genealogical series "Ancestors". She also enjoyed doing her own radio show for a time. Irene's love of family history was a cornerstone for most of her life. It took her around the world and she met lots of wonderful people doing it! Her other interests included gardening, canning, food storage and preparedness, reading and cooking. She also had something of a talent for languages that included English, German, French, Ukrainian and a little Russian. She had many qualities to admire, her often cheerful attitude and enthusiasm was catching, she was a sparkling conversationalist and a good listener when needed. Irene passed away suddenly on April 13, 2015. It was unexpected but she had health problems. She is survived by her children, several grandchildren, extended family and friends. She will be greatly missed. Memorial services will be held Saturday, May 2, 2015, 2:00 p.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 South Redwood Road. Place of Birth:Berlin, GermanyPlace of Death:Taylorsville, Utah