Myrna Jean Johnson Rowen passed away Sunday, September 15, 2024, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Myrna Jean was born in Nampa, Idaho on Christmas Eve, 1937; the first child of high school sweethearts Daryl Rowen and Lydia Eberhard Rowen. She was named after a movie star and looked like one. Myrna Jean could outwork any man, woman, or child until she was too old to have any business outworking anyone. Growing up, she milked cows morning and night, bucked hay, spent time with their horses, and played with and protected her sisters and little brother, whom she adored. Much of her childhood was spent at the Melba homestead of her grandparents, Ernst and Rosa Eberhard. She missed that farm for the rest of her days. Myrna Jean was a steadfast believer in Jesus Christ and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She lived her life with childlike faith and a desire to please her Heavenly Father. One of her greatest loves was music. She was a prodigious trumpet player, earning first chair at Utah State University as a Freshman. She and her sister Marilyn were known to sing all over the valley and even on television. Trudy later joined them, and the three sisters loved singing together for many years. It was at a church event that Harold Johnson saw them singing and fell for Myrna Jean at first sight and sound. Their family was raised on music. The children learned to sing harmony almost before anything else. Music has always been a source of joy and connection for them and their posterity. Myrna Jean married Harold for time and eternity in June 1957 in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. They were both nineteen years old. They were completely devoted to each other for nearly 60 years until he died in 2014. She always said she thought that they had the greatest love story ever. Too often, all they had was each other to hold onto, but it was enough. Their life was filled with hard work, music, laughter, church service, and raising children. She missed him terribly for the ten years they were apart after his death, and we rejoice at their reunion. Myrna Jean had a remarkable green thumb, to the benefit of her large family. She always grew a large, abundant garden. She always had a flock of chickens that provided the family with eggs and Myrna Jean with friendship and delight. In late summer and fall, the kitchen was filled with bushels and bushels of fruit picked in Sunny Slope, grapes grown on their property, and the garden harvest. Family always gathered to snap endless green beans and shuck station wagons filled to the brim with ears of corn. With that and whatever else Myrna Jean resourcefully gathered, she put hundreds of quarts of food away for family and anyone she knew was in need. Even in lean times, her tireless work meant her family never went hungry. She was exceptionally artistic and industrious, so her home was always beautiful. Myrna Jean and Harold made every place they lived their own little paradise. They made homes in Nampa, Pocatello, New Plymouth, Mountain Home, Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Melba before joining their oldest son Michael on his property in Meridian. Working together with Mike and Lisa, the Meridian property was transformed from an abandoned dairy farm to a beautiful park-like abode that has seen countless family picnics, jam sessions, fireside talks, cousin sleepovers, and wedding receptions. Many fond memories were made there, and they spent many evenings on their porch overlooking their hard work and enjoying their posterity. Myrna Jean’s family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to her firstborn granddaughter, Kallie Wilkins Maughan, and Kallie’s husband, Jeffrey Maughan, for generously providing a safe and loving home during her last two years, and to their children for filling her days with their service and sweetness. We would also like to give our love and thanks to our dear friend, Pam Braden, for providing friendship and companionship that blessed Myrna Jean’s life and ours. Sincere thanks to others who offered unwavering support and care. Myrna Jean is survived by her nine children: Michael Johnson (Lisa), Kathy Wilkins (Kurt), Lynda Johnson (David), Steven Johnson (Dana), Teryl Johnson (Patty), Melody Ross (Marq), Timothy Johnson (Amy), Benjamin Johnson (Katja), and Jennifer Rummler (Matthew), as well as 45 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren and counting, her sister, Marilyn Bates (Larry), her brother, Ronald Rowen (Karen), her bonus siblings, Ed Hafen and Robert and Tita Johnson, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She is now joyfully reunited with her beloved husband Harold, her parents, her sister, Trudy Rowen Hafen, and so many others that she longed to see.
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