ADDISON — Thomas Marimon Johnson died of natural causes on July 17, 2019. He was born on Feb. 22, 1922, in Camden, N.Y., the son of Russel S. Johnson and Frances Chapman Smith. He served in the US Army Air Corp from 1942-1946 before graduating from Middlebury College in 1948 and earning an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College in 1956.
For 41 years, he taught English in Ticonderoga and Goshen, N.Y., Vergennes, Vt., and at UVM. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Dr. Pegram Johnson. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Ella Laura Lamont, grandson Peter Egolf (Pennsylvania), daughter Jeramy Johnson Jones, granddaughter Rhone Wasoski, and great-granddaughter Jacy Wasoski (Oregon).
During his 97 years on earth, he enjoyed his family, home, friends, and canine companions — Pooch, Snicks, Gris, and Kiernan. He was fond of reading the “New Yorker,” solving crossword puzzles, watching the Red Sox, ice skating on the pond in his front yard, and exploring Vermont by road bike and cross-country ski. He was a freelance writer and photographer for the Vergennes Vermonter and the Addison Independent. As an artist, he depicted the sights and seasons of Vermont in watercolor, printed serigraph, and greeting card, which he sold through Eltom Crafts, a business that he co-founded with his wife. His quick wit and humor left lasting joy with everyone who met him.
Tom requested no memorial service, but his family invites anyone who wishes to share their memories of Tom to call his grandson, Peter, at 570-557-9077.◊