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Erna Marie Johnston passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Fenton, MO on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. She had just celebrated her 97th birthday with family and friends on November 11, 2023.
Erna was born to Simon and Helen (Hotop) Hager on November 11, 1926, in Perryville, MO. Simon and Helen had 5 children, Simon, Leroy, Norma, Mary, and Erna. Erna was the youngest and loved telling stories from her childhood that included her dog, Scout, and her love of riding horses on their farm.
She hadn’t finished high school yet when she decided to move to St. Louis to work for Southwestern Bell Telephone. She met the love of her life, Homer, when introduced by mutual friends. My dad knew right away that Erna was the one for him and they married on February 15, 1947 at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in St. Louis, MO. Erna quit her job at the telephone company to travel with Homer during his baseball days.
As they started their family, they returned to St. Louis where Erna began her career at The Grove Company in Webster Groves, MO, a high-end sportswear line that had a large presence in Texas and New York. She soon became Office Manager and oversaw the functions of the manufacturing department, eventually moving to managing the company’s customer service department. Their competitor, Intuitions, lured her away and this time it was Homer’s turn to follow Erna as they moved to New Jersey. She retired from Intuitions, returning to St. Louis, MO.
Homer and Erna had been married 75 years when he passed on November 2, 2022. Erna is survived by her daughter, Karen, and son-in-law, Joe Staten. She is preceded in death by her sons, Kevin, Bruce and Brian Johnston, and daughter, Nancy Sandlin Barr, and siblings Simon, Leroy, Norma and Mary and their spouses. She is survived by 4 grandchildren, Katie Feldmeier, Greg Staten, Pam (Greg) Reece, and Grace Brown, 6 great-grandchildren, Andrew Feldmeier, Daniel Feldmeier, Jessi (Scott) Friese, Jacob Brown, Liam Reece and Lilly Reece, and 1 great-great-grandchild, Cayden Friese. She loved her grand-dogs, with Cooper and Gio predeceasing her and survived by Cole (her favorite).

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