Emily Ruth (Miller) Johnson was born in New York City on September 20, 1955. The second of three children, her parents, Lois Edith (Reichhard) Miller and Ryland Duke Miller, lived and worked on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Emily graduated from Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Illinois in 1973 (where she was a pompom girl) and the University of Wisconsin at Menomonee in 1977 with a degree in Early Childhood Education. In 1982 she married Ralph Burton Johnson of Columbus, GA. Their children, Cassady Rebecca (Johnson) Einglett and Adam Bricen Johnson, were born in Columbus.

Ralph served in law enforcement and Emily worked as a travel agent until she contracted a very rare auto-immune disease, Dermatomyocitis, at age 38, which rendered her unable to walk for the rest of her life. Despite her disability, Emily was active in raising her kids, supporting her husband in his career, participating in the life of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, and supporting her parents, who lived in Columbus, GA as they aged.

When Ralph completed his tenure as the Sheriff of Muscogee County, GA, the couple built a home and retired in Hohenwald. Towards the end of her life, three grandchildren, Chloe Johnson, and Ryland and Reece Einglett, filled her days with activity and joy.

Emily was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved music, and had a beautiful soprano voice. She was an active gardener, and loved movies. Above all, she loved animals, and always had dogs and cats in her home, and enjoyed horses. She kept in touch with many friends from all chapters of her life.

Most of all, Emily met the many challenges of her life with courage, grace and a great sense of humor.

Emily’s immensely challenging medical case came on very suddenly; within a week of her first symptoms she became totally immobile. Faced with her imminent, extremely rapid demise, the inspired medical team at Atlanta’s Emory Hospital brainstormed a radical, innovative approach to save her life, adding twenty-five years to her life despite the dire diagnosis. Today, Emory’s breakthrough methodology is taught in medical schools, and has become the primary means of saving people with these ultra rare, steroid-resistant cases of Dermatomyocytis, saving countless future lives.

Emily will be missed and remembered with love by all who knew her.

Emily is survived by her daughter, Cassady Rebecca (Johnson) Einglett and her husband Bradley Einglett of Hohenwald; and her son, Adam Johnson and his wife Ashley Johnson of Columbus, GA; her sister, Susan English (Miller) Fetcho of Oakland, CA; her brother, Craig Montgomery Miller and his wife Judy Danskin Miller of Alexandria, Ontario, Canada.

Visitation will be held Sunday, August 7, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at Blondy Church with a Memorial Service following from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. If you would like to attend, please do not wear black as Emily was a colorful person and she would not want dark colors at this service.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to one of Emily’s favorite charities: The Strand Theatre in Hohenwald or The Hope Center Ministries for recovering addicts who are in need of a relationship with the Lord.