Madge Ernestine Johansen

Madge Ernestine Morris was born on August 19, 1923, in Washington, D.C. She was one of five children born to William F. Morris and Lillian A. (Herrell) Morris.

Growing up, Madge attended Central High School. She spent summers helping at the King Tut Inn, which was owned by her mother.

During World War II, she entertained the troops at camp shows. Madge sang, played the guitar, piano, organ, and other instruments.  She worked as a draftsman for the War Department at the Pentagon, and later for the CIA.

A romance began between Madge and Fred W. Johansen during a reception at the White House given by President and Mrs. Truman to thank and honor volunteer camp show members. Madge and Fred were engaged at the top of the Washington Monument and were married on May 28, 1947 at Calvary Methodist Church.

Madge and Fred had four children – Bunny, Hazel, Darlene, and Fred, Jr. (Skip). In 1955, they moved into a home they built on Briggs Chaney Rd. in Montgomery County, Maryland where they lived for nearly 50 years. While living there, they faithfully attended Spencerville Free Methodist Church.

Madge had numerous jobs and hobbies. She worked at Sears department store where she demonstrated the power saw. She sold World Book Encyclopedias. She worked for the Montgomery County Public Schools as a school bus driver, retiring in 1985 after nearly 25 years of driving the school bus.

Madge was known for her talent in sewing and crafts. She made puppets, cloth dolls, porcelain dolls, quilts, clothes and costumes for her children. She won numerous Blue Ribbons at the Montgomery County Fair for the dolls she made. She spent many hours making hand painted wall hangings, cards, and bookmarks.  Numerous front-page newspaper articles chronicle the many trips to the White House Easter Egg Roll with her children in costumes and props she made. 

In 1971, when she found out that someone was taking the Texas property her father had purchased in 1911, by adverse possession, she went to Texas along with her sister-in-law, Viola Morris, to take it back. When she was almost 90 years old she wrote My Texas Story – a book about her adventures.

In 2002, the Maryland State Highway Administration purchased the Johansen home located on Briggs Chaney Rd. Fred and Madge moved to Jefferson, Maryland. While living there, she attended Valley Baptist church.

Fred went to be with the Lord on August 10, 2004. They had been married for 57 years. In September of 2014, Madge moved to North Potomac, Maryland to live with her oldest daughter, Bunny.

Madge is survived by sister Myrtle Witherspoon, her children: Bunny Galladora and her husband Victor of North Potomac, Hazel Johansen who is a missionary in Taipei, Taiwan, Darlene Pierce and her husband Richard of Laurel, Fred Johansen, Jr. (Skip) and his wife Donna of Laurel, nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and hundreds of her dolls.

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