Jewel Margaret Irons was born November 16, 1925 in Osceola, Arkansas, to Carrie Lee Jackson and Samuel O. Irons. She was the second of three children.
In 1928, the Irons family migrated from Arkansas to Missouri. This move introduced young Jewel to a fertile, thriving urban consciousness that challenged and motivated her to dream big and reach high.
In 1948 she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Stowe Teachers College. Her formal academic studies were completed at Washington University where she earned a Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis in reading comprehension.
For the next thirty-plus years Jewel practiced and refined her art as teacher and motivator. This expansive career began at Dunbar Elementary School in 1950 and ended at Jefferson Elementary School.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Herman D. Johnson and her brother, William D. Irons.
On Thursday, April 2, 2015, Jewel transitioned to the eternal life that is promised to those who believe. She leaves to cherish her memory, her daughter, Pamela Y. Gibson (Wayne) of Basking Ridge, New Jersey; son, Mark D. Johnson of University City, Missouri; granddaughter, Asha K. Warren of Lithonia, Georgia; sister, Helen Stewart of Cleveland, Ohio; cousin, Jerry A. Williamson – teacher in Yokosuka, Japan; extended family members from the Irons, Marshall and Johnson families and a host of friends and admirers.
Memorial Service: Saturday, May 30, 2015, 11:00 a.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 5010 Terry Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri.
