Sidney Johnson, book store owner, dies

Sidney S. Johnson, 78, a pioneering woman pilot who for almost two decades owned and ran an independent book store in downtown Barrington, died Feb. 28 at her Barrington home, following a long illness.

Born Sidney Mae Stratton in Lebanon, Ind., May 24, 1924, she was the daughter of Geraldine E. and Leonard L. Stratton. The family moved to Oak Park in her childhood years, and she grew up a few doors away from the home of her future husband, Ralph Edson Johnson.

Sidney Johnson Bookseller Ltd. operated on Barrington�s Main Street from 1975 until 1994 when Mrs. Johnson retired and closed her store. In an interview at the time, Mrs. Johnson described how her knack for selling first became evident when, she recalled, she sold more cookies door-to-door � walking and on bicycle � than any other Girl Scout nationwide.

Her mission of providing sustenance to customers carried forward into the book business. �We sold books,� she recalled. �But we also sold a world of literature and inquiry to young minds.� Mrs. Johnson�s own favorite private pastime was reading.

Mrs. Johnson was graduated with a degree in English from Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., in 1944. She recalled that she received her private pilot license on the same day as graduation � a schedule conflict that left her rushing to collect her diploma after her check ride. From there she briefly worked as the only woman among a group of crop-duster pilots.

She and Mr. Johnson were married Jan. 14, 1952 in Tucson, Ariz. They moved shortly thereafter back to the Chicago area, living in Oak Park, Glen Ellyn and Hinsdale before moving to Barrington Hills in October 1958.

Mrs. Johnson was a member of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, where she served on the planning committee, and of the American Booksellers Association. Active in town and GOP politics, she attended the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco, where her husband was one of two sergeants-at-arms from Illinois. She has been a member of the Presbyterian Church of Barrington Hills and Barrington Hills Country Club.

Her husband, who owned Chicago Tent & Textile Co., died June 12, 1994. Her brother was Richard E. Stratton, a career Oak Park police officer, who died June 4, 1988. Before Indiana, her ancestors were from Virginia.

She leaves five daughters: Sharon J. (James) Minter of Mill Creek, Wash., Lauren Leigh Johnson of Barrington, Betsy Edens Johnson of Williamstown, Mass., Paula Kay Johnson of Chicago, and Martha Ann Johnson of Chicago; four grandchildren: Kathleen Anne Minter and Julie Lynn Minter, both of Mill Creek, Wash., Christopher Dana Densmore and Eliza Edens Densmore, both of Williamstown, Mass.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 9 at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Northeastern Illinois, 410 S. Hager, St., Barrington, IL 60010, or to the Friends of the Barrington Area Library, PO Box 65, Barrington, IL 60011. Arrangements were made by Davenport Family Funeral Home of Barrington.

Back to main obits page