Treazure Yvonne Johnson

In Loving Memory of Treazure Yvonne Johnson January 2, 1933 - October 29, 2024 ~ With profound sorrow we announce the passing of Treazure Yvonne Johnson, of Mattaponi, Virginia, and Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania, on October 29, 2024. Treazure passed peacefully at her home in Virginia, surrounded by her family. She took with her a piece of the heart of each person who knew and loved her, making their world a little less interesting and colorful. Treazure, the daughter of A. Isabel “Honey” (nee Rissinger) and Stanley E. Peiffer of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was born late on a snowy January 2, 1933, in Sacramento, Pennsylvania. While an only child, Treazure always felt like she was part of a big family, surrounded and loved by her grandparents, Maybelle and John Jacob Rissinger, her three maternal uncles, Joseph, Jacob, and Wilard, and her many cousins. Her childhood was filled with adventures on her Uncle Wilard’s farm, swimming at her Uncle Jake’s mill, and annual summers spent swimming, dancing, and canoeing at Buery’s Grove in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. She, like her mother and father, was an accomplished equestrian and had horses and rode throughout her life. Treazure also loved to dance, and her dance card was regularly filled weeks in advance of the Big Band concerts at Buery’s Grove’s dance hall. Her favorite dance partner, though, was always her cousin Bobby. Treazure graduated in 1950 first in her class from Hubley Township High School, where her classmates voted her prettiest, most popular, and most likely to succeed. She spent the 1946 school year at Ruston Academy, a private bilingual American school in Havana, Cuba, where her parents had decided to live for a year. While she loved her year in Cuba, she blamed her math teacher at Ruston Academy for her self-perceived math weakness, since he spoke only Spanish and German, and she spoke neither. While Treazure’s heart was set on attending Bucknell University or Penn State, her mother Honey insisted she attend the oldest school in the United States that accepted women, the College of Wiliam and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. There, Treazure was a member of Chi Omega Sorority and played the glockenspiel in the Wiliam and Mary Marching Band. She graduated with honors in 1954, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. Following graduation, Treazure took post-graduate classes in physics and chemistry at Franklin and Marshal College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At the time, Franklin and Marshal was an all-male college and Treazure was the only woman among 750 male students. While attending Wiliam and Mary, Treazure serendipitously met John Robert Johnson when her father purchased lumber from his business in Virginia. She had gone along for the ride. They were married in 1954 and lived a wonderful life together in Virginia until his untimely death in 1987. John often remarked that his life with Treazure was akin to dying and going to heaven. Theirs was the epitome of a perfect marriage – characterized by mutual respect, great love and passion, and gentle amusement with each other. Treazure’s immediate survivors include her two daughters, Treazure Roberta “Birdie” Johnson and Isabelle “Belle” Louise Johnson, and Belle’s husband Edwin L. Green, III. Treazure’s devotion to her children was fierce. She never missed one of their events, whether it was a school athletic event, a piano or dance recital, or a swimming or riding lesson. She and John chauffeured Birdie and her friends, with Belle, throughout eastern and central Virginia to a multitude of Neil Diamond, Three Dog Night, and Jethro Tul concerts. While she was strict about grades and homework, Treazure was not above pitching in to help, i.e., “finish” a required poem, essay, or art project when her girls had reached their limit. For years Treazure was a Brownie and Girl Scout den mother, teacher’s aide at Belle’s elementary school, and Sunday School teacher at the Methodist Church in West Point, Virginia. She was always available to support, guide, and uplift her family through life’s challenges. Treazure was also active in her communities in Virginia and Pennsylvania. She was a member of the King Wiliam County Women’s Club, the Wiliam and Mary Alumni Association, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and the Virginia Museum of Arts. She supported the Mount Gretna Chautauqua summer church program and volunteered regularly to help with the annual Mount Gretna Art Show. She was also a long-time supporter of Gretna Music and Gretna Theatre. Finally, Treazure supported and maintained her membership throughout her life at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Sacramento, Pennsylvania, much to the chagrin of a long line of Methodist ministers in Virginia. Treazure’s warmth and humor were contagious. Her quick wit, easy smile, and quiet elegance, spiced with a dash of sassiness, made her a beloved presence in the lives of all who knew her. She had an unparalleled gift for making others feel seen, heard, and cherished. She will be missed beyond measure by her family and friends. There will be a memorial service celebrating Treazure later this summer in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Treazure’s memory to Gretna Music, P.O. Box 366, Mt. Gretna, PA 17064.