Louise Wakehouse

The most wonderful, precious, enjoyable woman you would ever meet in this universe. She had the strength of a giant, the courage of a lion, the protection of a mama bear, the love and compassion to endure the hardships throughout her long, eventful, life. 

She was born on the farm in Turin, Iowa, with the help of a midwife. Asa and Blanche (Jones) Johnston's 3rd baby. Life on the farm was hard, she enjoyed her siblings and many memories of the antics they would get into. When she meet the love of her life, they were engaged, and were planning a wedding....her fiance was facing the draft and they had to make quick decisions. They were married, Nov 10, 1953, just 6 days before he left for Korea. She had the faith and love to bring him home. "That's true love", she said. They had a fantastic life. Travel, Friends, Family, Community, Love of Life, Faith in the Lord and of course, True Love. 

Lou (as she preferred) & Don were finally blessed with the birth of their daughter, Dawn Renee, in 1960. The bond of Mother/Daughter is one of devotion & protective respect, love & pride. She was a very devoted and loving mother that was always there for her daughter, or a friend in need. All were welcome with open arms. 

She also threw a few 300's on her bowling teams, cheered for the Denver Broncos (good times & bad), she was also inventively passionate regarding women rights. She was very involved with the American Business Women's Association for many decades. ABWA is a national association that provide scholarships and resources for women in business. After retiring from Airline Pilots Association, as Executive Secretary of the Denver Field Office, she kept busy with family and friends. 

She loved to travel. They had an RV, and traveled throughout the country, meeting strangers and leaving friends. They were blessed by the birth of their first grandson, Erik, & wanted to move to Arizona. Another blessed grandson, Jake. So they bought a home, in a wonderful, loving community in Show Low, Arizona. 

She was praised for & loved to make the most scrumptious Peanut Brittle! Every Christmas, not a soul was forgotten. Games kept her sharp. A great teacher of trivia, card games, dominoes, board games, crosswords; an extremely intelligent challenger. 

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the DAV or VFW, and/or random acts of kindness in Louise's honor--as she & her loved ones lived by, each new day.