Ila Frances Jane Johnson

Ila happier than a house full of extended family and friends.

Ila Frances Jane Johnson, 92, of Waco and formerly of Corpus Christi, passed away Monday, August 31, 2020 at Brookdale Lake Brazos Retirement Center in Waco.

Memorial Service: 2:00 p.m. Sunday, August 13, at China Spring United Methodist Church with Rev. Steve Moss officiating.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to China Spring UMC, 12301 Yankie  Rd., Waco, TX 76633, or to a charity of your choice.

Ila was born August 16, 1928 in Fowler, Indiana to Walter L. and Martha Hardebeck Datzman.  Her childhood was spent in various small towns surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins of German descent.  In her teenage years, her family moved to the Rio Grande Valley with Standard Oil.  She greatly enjoyed her Harlingen High School years with many good girlfriends and graduated in 1946.

Tragedy struck her family when her older brother Rolland was killed in action aboard the carrier U.S.S. Franklin in March of 1945, only months before WWII ended.  Ila’s parents subsequently divorced, leaving her to help raise her younger brother Roger and run the household for her father.  After graduation she returned to Indiana to attend St. Elizabeth’s School of Nursing in Lafayette, but after  two semesters, decided the Valley was best for her.

In 1949, her cousin Mary introduced Ila to her brother-in-law, a handsome young soldier home from Europe.  Pat Johnson was the 11th of twelve children, and both he and the big Johnson family fell in love with Ila, and she with him and them.  They married in November of 1950 and moved to Corpus Christi, where Pat began a lifelong career with Commercial Credit Corporation.

Kathy was born in 1951, quickly followed by Ridge in 1952 and Susan in 1954.  Ila relished her stay-at-home mom years with cooking, cleaning, gardening and child-rearing, and in her spare time played bridge, joined a synchronized swimming team and entertained friends and family.  Summers were spent teaching swimming lessons, ending with an August family road trip.

For the next twenty years, Ila taught swimming lessons and was widely regarded as the very best swimming teacher in Corpus.  As the kids became teenagers, they assisted Ila with lessons, saving money for college.  Between Ila’s earnings and money the kids saved up, all three kids had debt-free college educations.  Ila and Pat were very proud of that.

In the mid-1960s, Ila decided it was time to pursue her dream of college.  She began at Del Mar College, then rode the “white goose” shuttle bus to Kingsville to attend Texas A&I, all while maintaining the household and raising three active children.  After obtaining her undergraduate degree with honors, Ila began teaching for CCISD, first as the founding director of TAMS, the Teenage Mothers’ School, where she was truly effective and loved.  She later enjoyed many years as a homebound teacher, juggling many students and even more subject matters at once.

During her teaching years, Ila earned her Master’s Degree from Corpus Christi A&I, graduating with honors.  She loved academia and was an avid reader and news junkie.  Her quiet and somewhat shy nature belied her sincere interest in listening to the stories of her loved ones.  She and Pat loved to entertain, and nothing made

In later life, Ila and Pat enjoyed many wonderful trips to Europe, South America, and across the U.S., always managing to squeeze in a quick trip to the Mexican border.

Pat passed away in 2001, and in 2005 Ila moved to Waco to live closer to Ridge and his wife Janie.  In 2003, Ila was contacted by recently widowed George Spraggins of Ohio, who had been her Harlingen High School boyfriend.  George and Ila were wed in 2006 and enjoyed their golden years in Ila’s lovely home on the golf course in China Spring.  They moved to assisted living in the summer of 2019, and Ila passed away quietly and in the kind care of the staff of Brookdale Lake Brazos on August 31, 2020.

Ila was predeceased by her husband Pat, her parents, both of her brothers, and all 11 Johnson brothers- and sisters-in-law and their spouses that were Ila’s very own.  She is survived by George Spraggins of Ohio; her children Kathy (Mike) Sturgeon of Lometa, Ridge (Janie) of Waco, and Susan (Tom) Cockburn of Austin; eight grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews scattered throughout Texas.