Terrlyn Ann (Dreblow) Johnson

For those attending the Celebration of Life Gathering, please bring food to share in honor of Terri's love of cooking.

Terrlyn Ann Johnson, née Dreblow, passed away in her home of natural causes on December 8, 2018.  She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.  She loved life and spread her light to all who were blessed to know or encounter her.  Born on June 15, 1943 in Beaver Dam to loving parents Art and Ruth Dreblow, she was the oldest of three siblings and the first maternal grandchild.  She grew up in Princeton, WI where she loved her times on the family farm with her Uncle Benny and Aunt Arvilla, who played a major role in her infancy and childhood. 

As a young adult she attended Wayland Academy before matriculating at UW-Madison where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master of Science in Counseling and Behavioral Studies.  She organized and was President of a service sorority on campus which still exists today, and she served on the UW Madison Judicial Board, handling disciplinary action for students.  She also worked on the Dean’s Committee responsible for designing and implementing the rules for changing women’s curfew systems in college; this was the forerunner and model for the present co-ed dormitory systems on campuses across the country. At UW-Madison, she received the Laura A. McDonald Award for service, grades, and leadership, gained Mortar Board recognition, and was in the Sigma Epsilon Sigma honor society.  She was also the first female sports editor in the state, covering basketball, track, and football for the 1962-64 teams, including the 1962 Rose Bowl.  As a journalist, she also loved working as Associate Editor for the 1965 UW Madison Yearbook. 

After earning her Master’s degree, Terri was a Rehab Counselor at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute from 1969-71 where she worked with mentally ill adolescents and drug abusers.  She resigned when Kristin, her first child, was born.  She then became the executive director at Waushara Industries where she was the project director for ten years, working to evaluate and build a new facility.  In the 1980’s she worked as a realtor and manager at the Eagan Agency which she loved.  She continued as the business manager for Roy Johnson Plumbing and was a dedicated mother to Kris, Brian and Patrick.  She was the rock that held the family together, setting a tone for a strong-knit love that runs deep in the Johnson clan.  She was intimately involved in her kids’ and their friends’ lives, many of whom deemed her as a second mom.  She proudly served as the Wautoma Booster Club president where she enjoyed planning and executing events.

 A new age thinker ahead of her time, Terri was full of wisdom with a passion for learning, quotations, life lessons, and Universal love.  Her patience, understanding and concern for others made it easy to confide in her.  She had a lifetime love of cooking which evolved into her starting Terri’s Touch with catering, a Dinner Club, a newsletter full of loving inspiration, and her famous pretzel dip.  Terri also shared her love by volunteering in the schools and as a hospice worker, where she professed that “death is nothing at all; it is simply crossing over into love.”

She is survived by her three children: Kristin (grandsons: Cameron, Jaydon and Carson Bott), Brian, and Patrick, sister Arta Peschke, brother Dan Dreblow, and loving in-laws, nieces and nephews.  Preceded in death by her husband Roy Leland Johnson, parents Arthur & Ruth (Feigel) Dreblow, and extended family members.

As Terri would say, “Have a Blissful Day, and Share Your Love!”  Please share your love by joining us for a Celebration of Life to be held from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday, December 15th at the WWII Memorial in Wautoma, WI with story sharing at 4pm.  Anyone who knew Terri knows how much she loved cooking – she viewed it as a way to share her love. Please honor her by bringing a favorite dish with you to share at the Celebration of Life. Details at www.stahlfuneralhome.com

A special viewing will be held for family and close friends on Friday, December 14th at Stahl Celebration & Remembrance Center, Hwy 21 Wautoma.

For those who wish to make a donation, please donate to the Hospice Foundation in her name.   

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Terrlyn Ann (Dreblow) Johnson, please visit our floral store.