Shirley Carmichael Johnson

Hollister resident Shirley Carmichael Johnson passed away on March 5, 2021, after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband of 24 years, Craig Johnson.

Shirley was born in Bakersfield, CA, on March 12, 1937, to Floyd and Lola Clendenen, long-time farmers who instilled in her a love of soil and all things that grow. She was an avid gardener and rose-lover. She loved Hawaii and slack key guitar music and could be found at concerts sneaking up to get autographs from her favorite musicians. There was no one that she would not talk to-everyone was her friend.

After graduating from San Jose State College with a degree in nursing, she went to work as an operating room nurse. She took time off to raise her children and returned to work as a school nurse for the Morgan Hill Unified School District. She then went to work for the counties of Santa Clara and San Benito as a public health nurse, specializing in tuberculosis and diabetes education.

Shirley loved kids and took great joy in helping others. She volunteered with the Live Oak Emerald Regime Band Boosters, the Live Oak Rodeo Club, the San Benito County Juvenile Hall, the Hollister Gang Prevention Task Force, and the American Cancer Society. And she was always ready to take dinner to an ailing neighbor. In her later years, she and Craig served in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Shirley also sang in church choirs throughout her life. Most recently she was an elder, a deacon, and a member of the Music and Worship Committee at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollister.

In addition to her husband, Shirley leaves behind her son, Douglas Krauter (Kimberly Krauter); daughter, Denise Leininger (Rick Leininger); and grandchildren, Alyssa Krauter (Joseph Gershman), Diane Lane (Bradley Lane), and Brett Leininger (Megan Leininger). She also leaves behind her great-grandchildren, Jameson, Daniel, Levi, and Beatrice.

Due to the pandemic no services have been planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Stanford Health Care or the American Cancer Society.

Published in Morgan Hill Times · March 18, 2021