Family members at the service of thanksgiving for the life of Anna May Johnston at the Webster Memorial United Church, Half-Way Tree Road, yesterday. -Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

THE PASSING of Anna May Johnston on May 3 has left a void in the hearts of her family members and loved ones.

The mother of four, 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren succumbed to Parkinson's disease.

At her thanksgiving service, held yesterday at the Webster Memorial United Church in St. Andrew, family members spoke of a woman who lived for her children.

"She tended our wounds when we were bruised," said Jade Foster, great-granddaughter.

Johnston was born in Panama on February 13, 1919. Her mother was Jamaican and father Panamanian. At the age of seven, she and family members migrated to Jamaica, which she called home for many years.

In the remembrance, read by Gordon Arnold, family friend, the congregation heard of a woman who was a good cook and who was endearing to children.

Mother of many

"Her (Johnston) home was a happy home filled with a lot of laughter and merriment and shared experiences," said Mr. Arnold.

"She was not just the mother of your friend, but she was also your friend who happened to be the mother of your friend," he added.

Her dishes will also be missed, said her relatives.

"Her trifle was to die for," Mr. Arnold said.

Johnston is survived by siblings Dudley and Lloyd; cousins, Dorothy and Claudia; her four children and their extended families.