Obituary of Martina Irene Johnson

Martina Irene (Maleck) Johnson, age 64, of Tioga, PA, died on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital, Wellsboro, PA. Born on July 12, 1943 in Philadelphia, PA, she was the daughter of Walter and Irene (Mihalik) Maleck. Martina was married for 43 years to Ronald E. Johnson, retired Engineering Fellow from Corning Inc. Martina (Tina) studied Medical Laboratory Technology at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Prior to its closing, Martina was employed as a medical lab technician at Blossburg State Hospital in Blossburg, PA. Throughout Martina's life she wasactive in many pursuits, and had many achievements, but she was particularly proud of her original artistic accomplishments, such as complex Pysanky egg designs, intricate hand-cut wallpaper designs, and numerous unique floral designs. One of her specialties was topiary trees. She spent many meticulous hours in creating unique topiary trees by combining flowers with all kinds of treasures from nature, many of which she personally found, gathered, and preserved. Martina enjoyed using her artistic skills for making very high quality silk floral arrangements, and she made the floral arrangements for weddings, as far away as New York City, Washington DC, and Florida. Martina was gifted artist, and in the early 1980s several of her drawings were printed on Corelle plates and cups at Corning Inc. during the introduction of a new glass decorating process at manufacturing plants in Corning, NY and Paden City, WVA. She also renovated much of the interiors of her Victorian home in Tioga, PA, as well as her vacation home in Sodus Point, NY. Martina was never idle. If it needed doing, Martina did it. She even did her own carpentry and plumbing. Shealso was an avid, knowledgeable gardener, and was often outdoors working with plants and trees of many varieties and sizes. People knew her as energetic, always young, and very compassionate. She was one of the rare people who truly could put others before themselves. Martina was an activist on many important issues. She supported many animal welfare and nature conservancy organizations. Most recently she was active in promoting the banning of outdoor wood-burning furnaces, and just prior to her stroke had spoken at a workshop on the subject in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Martina is survived by her husband, Ronald, her parents, Walter and Irene Maleck of Tioga, PA, a son and daughter-in-law, Ronald and Heidi Johnson, and one grandson, Kyle Johnson, of Julian, PA. A memorial service will be held at the Presbyterian Church on Broad Street in Tioga, PA on Sunday October 28 from 3 to 5 PM. Memorial contributions may be made in Martinas name to Alley Cat Allies, 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, MD, 20814-2525 [www.alleycat.org] or Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Spring Road, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598 [www.guidingeyes.org] The Jacquelyn A. Buckheit Funeral Chapel, Crematory & Monuments, PC 637 South Main Street, Mansfield, PA, is assisting the family. www.buckheitfcandcrematory.com