Judy Davis “Meme” Johnson, 85, passed Thursday, Oct. 29, at her home peacefully after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Judy was born in Canton and raised in the Cooper’s Well community of Raymond. At 16 years old, she met and married Donald, the love of her life, and spent the following 69 years with him until her death.

Everyone who met Judy immediately knew how much she loved life, said her husband, Donald. “She was a light everywhere she went,” he said. “She was full of love and joy. She never held anything back. You always knew where you stood with her.”

Though their parents were skeptical of teenagers marrying in 1957, time would prove the young lovers knew what they were doing. A marriage spanning seven decades is a rare feat and people frequently sought out Judy and Donald for the secret.

“People ask me all the time how we did it all those years and I tell them that’s what true love is. Those wedding vows weren’t just words to us. We meant them,” he said.

Throughout her life, Judy loved her family, traveling, and collecting antiques. She was a talented artist and painter having created and sold many pieces of art at shows around the state. She loved the mountains in particular and spent much of her life visiting the Ozark and Rocky Mountains with family and friends.

Her son, Collin, especially remembers weekend trips to Branson, Mo. “There were many times we would leave Friday after Dad got off work and drive all night to spend all day Saturday and come home Sunday afternoon,” he said. “It was a lot of driving in a short amount of time, but Mom loved it. She loved the time together with us, the views, the shows, and the shopping.”

In later years, Judy enjoyed spoiling her granddaughter, Rylee, and never failed to tell people how proud she was. The two would take on the town shopping and adventuring from morning until suppertime at home. “Mom supported all of us,” added Collin. “She was love in action.”

Judy was a lifelong Christian and a member of Henderson Road Baptist Church.

Her survivors include husband, Donald; son, Collin; granddaughter, Rylee; and many nieces and nephews.