Myrna Lea (Haile) Johnson, 80, went to be with the Lord on Dec. 1, 2009, after a short illness. She will always be remembered for her lilting laugh.  Myrna was born in Haviland, Kansas to W. Oral Haile and M. May (Stotts) Haile in 1929. She started school in Kansas, but in 1938 moved with her family to Turlock. Here, she attended grade school and graduated from Turlock High School in 1947. Myrna married Earl Sasser in 1948, and began her family in Tracy, Calif., where her three children were born. She began her employment as a bookkeeper at First National Bank in Turlock. She later used her bookkeeping skills at Lawrence Livermore Labs and several small businesses in Castro Valley. Myrna married Harvey E. Johnson in 1960, and enjoyed 48 years of marriage prior to his death in November 2008. Myrna loved to travel and made many beautiful scrapbooks of the trips she and Harvey enjoyed.  Her love of family motivated her research and the development of extensive family genealogy. Because she loved the Lord Jesus, she served in her church, Redwood Chapel of Castro Valley, for nearly 50 years. Her service included: Women’s Ministries, Pioneer Girls, Vacation Bible School, Missions board and she was a great supporter of the church’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2005. Her love of music was obvious by the many years she sang in the church choir. She returned to her childhood home of Turlock as a resident of Covenant Village in 2006. Old acquaintances and school mates were soon friends again.
She is survived by her three children, Kenneth and his wife, Christine, Sasser of Chester, Calif., Sharon and her husband, Rod, Stone of Elk Grove, Calif. and Mark and his wife, Jackie, Sasser of Antelope, Calif.; her brother, Marcus and his wife, Lynne, Haile of Wrightwood, Calif.; sister, Jean (Haile) Harvey of Turlock; eight grandchildren; and 14 great grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at Redwood Chapel in Castro Valley (dates pending) and Covenant Village Berg Hall (dates pending). In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to the Covenant Village Benevolence Fund, 2125 N. Olive Ave., Turlock, CA 95382 or Redwood Chapel Missions Fund, 19300 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley, CA 94546.
Arrangements are entrusted to Allen Mortuary.