good, bad & ugly: Carrie Marie Johnston

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Carrie Marie Johnston

Each Christmas we remember Jenny's paternal grandmother, Carrie Marie. We remember her as loving wife, mother and grandmother. Jenny tells the stories again--about Carrie Marie's and Paul's house on N. Randolph St. in Arlington VA where they raised their seven children. Each year Jenny recalls the details of that house--living room, dining room, kitchen, stairs to the second floor, bedrooms, bathroom (one for nine people), wraparound porch, coal cellar, etc. Pap-Pap would chase Jenny and her cousin around the dining room table, bedroom slipper in his hand, while the children screamed, and Carrie Marie stood by quietly smiling.

Paul and Carrie Marie took in Jenny's mom and brother while Jenny's father served on a LST during WWII (Jenny wasn't born yet). Jenny tells how when she was little that she used to "run away" to Carrie Marie's and Pap-Pap's house. She'd pack up her little suitcase and her father would gladly drive her to Grandma and Pap-Pap's house ten minutes away.

Jenny tells how Carrie Marie would tuck her in at night and then kneel by the bed to say her prayers. Jenny says that of the many, many times that Carrie Marie repeated this routine over the years that she never once saw Carrie Marie get up from her prayers.

There are many other wonderful memories, including how Carrie Marie would get all dressed up in her Sunday best, white gloves included, to go grocery shopping. But, the best story of all is how Carrie Marie made her signature cocoa spice cake and cookies (peanut butter and chocolate pinwheels and whiskey cookies) every year for each of her seven children's families at Christmas. She would make them all in her kitchen and fill her pantry with cakes and pillowcases full of cookies. To this day we continue to be amazed how she could accomplish all of this work before Christmas each and every year.

The tradition has carried on to our family too.

Thank you, Carrie Marie.