Anna May “Annamae” Johnson
Anna May “Annamae” Johnson (also known as Ann Johnson), a longtime resident of Southold for the past 60 years, passed away at home on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 at the age of 95, after a long, productive life and a natural death.
She was born in Queens in 1930, and raised in Elmhurst, NY. She graduated in 1948 from Newtown High School and went on to earn an R.N. in 1952 from Misericordia School of Nursing in Manhattan. After graduating she worked at Cornell Medical Center/New York Hospital for nearly three years. In 1954, she married Rolf Johnson and moved to Malba, Queens, NY. The Johnson family relocated to Southold in 1965 with their five children in tow. They restored and resided in an historic farmhouse built in the 1760s located at the corner of Hortons Lane and Old North Road.
After a time as a stay at home mother, Ms. Johnson returned to work at Eastern Long Island Hospital, first as a charge nurse in the ICU/CCU, and then as a discharge planner in the Social Services department. She was known for her efficiency, kindness and good sense. She retired in 1997 after a 23-year tenure.
Ms. Johnson was very active in the Southold community. She was a member of the Rosary Society of St. Patrick’s Church where she also taught religious instruction, a volunteer at Headstart, and a long term volunteer at Hospice, where her nursing skills allowed her to ease the distress of many end-of-life patients. She also greatly enjoyed her membership in a local bridge club for more than 40 years.
Ms. Johnson was an amateur artist, a good cook, and an accomplished knitter and interior decorator. She loved gardening and maintained a flourishing greenhouse with a variety of plants, including her favorite geraniums, on her back porch. Every Saturday in the summer, you could find her at the local yard sales, where she snapped up many treasures to fill her historic pre-Revolutionary War home. Almost every morning in good weather she walked a 2-mile circuit, greeting friends along the way. During the colder months, she enjoyed spending time at her second home in Walnut Creek, California.
Ms. Johnson was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Rolf, and by her son, Rolf, Jr. She is survived by her children Jill, Kristine, Christopher and Scott; and by nine grandchildren: Katie, Meaghan, Brendan and Makenzie Quinn, James and Parker Giovan, and Sophie, Delilah and Simone Johnson.
A mass will be held in her honor at St. Patrick’s R.C. Church in Southold on Saturday, Jan. 24 at noon. Interment will be private at Calverton National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers please send a donation to the Southold Rosary Society.
DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold is serving the family.
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