Sonja Ingegard Johnson

Sonja Ingegard Johnson, 85, born on August 7, 1936, in Malmö, Sweden, passed away peacefully on October 23, 2021. She resided in Moraga, CA at the time of her passing.

Sonja was born in Malmo, Sweden to Jenny and Arthur Nilsson. She earned her vocational degree as a children's nurse and worked in an orphanage in Sweden. She travelled extensively around Europe before eventually deciding to follow her recently-married friend, Mona Patterson, to New York City in 1961. Upon arriving in New York, she worked as a nanny for the famous Carter family whose company made children's clothing. In 1962, Sonja decided to move to Southern California as she had a cousin who lived there and was looking for a change of work. She lived in El Segundo and liked to spend time at the beach. She worked for a technology company called International Rectifier in the purchasing department.

Shortly after arriving in Southern California, Sonja met Herbert Johnson at the Swedish Hollywood Club when she was out with friends. After a whirlwind romance of a few months he asked her to marry him at the Encounter restaurant, the space-age looking building in the middle of LAX airport. They married in Sweden in 1963 before returning to the United States to begin a new life in California. Sonja became a US citizen in 1969. They had one son, Leif, in 1965. Sonja and Herb travelled extensively all over the world, including a move to Fairfax, VA from 1974 until 1983. They returned to Walnut, California in 1984 and were married for 35 years until Herb died unexpectedly in 1998.

Sonja moved to Newport Beach, CA in 1999. She continued to travel the world with her friends and her son. She had many interests including Scottie dogs, Hummel and other porcelain figurines, dolls, anything cute, crystal, Thomas Kinkade, anything Christmas, pastries, African animals, children, Asian and Egyptian art, and music including Elvis, Andrea Bocelli, Frank Sinatra, Country or Christmas music. She was involved in quite a few organizations over the years, whether it was scout troops or various women's organizations. She loved crafts and would always find some new hobby, whether it was making chocolate or arranging flowers. She loved to decorate her Christmas tree. She enjoyed cooking and would love to put together a nice smorgasbord. She loved to set a beautiful table with her fine china and silver for family and friends. She loved to drive and was a very good driver.

In 2014, Sonja moved to an assisted living home in Moraga, CA to be closer to family. Dementia stole time from the last several years of her life but she was always a devoted and loving mother and grandmother. Sonja is survived by her son, Leif (Amy), grandchildren, Emma and Nils, sister-in-law, Ruth, nephews Mark (Kelly) and Paul (Grace), grandnephews Will, Ethan and Dalton and grandnieces Lindsay and Chloe. She is predeceased by her parents and husband. A funeral service celebrating Sonja's life will be held at Forest Lawn in Covina Hills, CA on November 22, 2021.