Keiko Johnson Obituary
Keiko Johnson, of Gloucester, passed away on Wednesday September 21, 2022, at the age of 92.
Keiko was born in 1929 in Kobe, Japan, and was the only child to Seiichi and Mutsue Nagashima. Her mother died shortly after childbirth, and Keiko was raised by her father and stepmother. Keiko lived in various cities in Japan, and while working as a salesgirl in a Kobe department store, Keiko met Bob Johnson. Bob, originally from Gloucester, was working for ARAMCO and living in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and vacationing in Japan. Keiko and Bob married in Japan, and she moved to Dhahran in 1960. Although it was a culture shock to move from the big city in Japan to the deserts of Arabia, she grew to love the safe, close-knit community and flourished there.
Bob and Keiko had their only daughter, Connie, in 1962. Living in Saudi Arabia allowed the family to do extensive travelling around the world for months at a time, going to places like Japan, Thailand, Holland, England, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria. In Arabia during the 70's, one of the popular recreational activities of the expatriates was to go on desert excursions and collect archeological artifacts that could be as much as 4, 000 years old (or "pot-picking" as it was called). Keiko thoroughly enjoyed digging up clay pots, arrowheads, and bracelet pieces, which are now displayed in museums.
Keiko was so proud to receive her US citizenship on March 15, 1963, in Miami, Florida.The family lived in Dhahran, from 1960 to 1976, before moving back to Gloucester.
Keiko was fearless, and she got her driver's license at the age of 50, attending driver's ed class with a few of her daughter's classmates.
Keiko loved animals and always had cats. Her last Siamese cat, CoCo, never left her side until he died a few years ago.
Keiko was an excellent cook, loved to sew, was an avid gardener, and painted folk art. She and her daughter liked to go out to eat and enjoyed finding bargains at the department stores and outlets. As Keiko became older and her mobility became more limited, she was fond of car rides around the back shore and spending time with her daughter and Shiba Inu pups, Nikko, then Sasha.
Keiko will always be remembered as a loving, selfless mother, and for her warm smile, thoughtfulness, and great sense of humor. She was strong and independent, still living in her own home at the age of 92.
Keiko was predeceased by her ex-husband Bob and is survived by her daughter, Connie Johnson.
Visiting hours will be held in the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM, with a service to be held at 6:30 PM. Friends and relatives are cordially invited to attend. Her private burial will be held the next day at Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Keiko's memory can be made to Cape Ann Animal Aid, 4 Paws Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930.
