An awkward kiss on the glasses is not quite how Hollywood draws up a love story, but for Dewey and Edna Johnson, this was the center of their first chapter. A date at the Yacht club gave Dewey another chance. “I have been in love from that day forward,” Dewey admitted.
After meeting while working together at Plymouth Stamping, the couple exchanged vows four years later. Dewey continues to admire Edna’s inner beauty, her regard for others, and the memorable moments they have together 22 years later: “I call her ‘Princess’ because she is one,” Dewey said.
Dewey attributes much of his own successes to Edna, sharing how her motivation and support carried him from a press operator role to the Director of Operations for three separate companies. Dewey declares that this is “all because of her,” recalling that she believed in him “from day one.”
Edna, who grew up in Westland, MI, with four siblings, spent 15 years combined working in both manufacturing and in a nursing home. She has always been family-oriented and caring about those around her.
“She is always working,” Dewey said. “Although she is now a stay-at-home wife and mother, she never sits down. She is always trying to help people live a better life.”
Edna evokes this compassion and love for others unequivocally, as Dewey illustrated. “She cares deeply for anyone who is lucky enough to be considered her family. She is always there to pick you up know matter how she feels.”
Edna enjoys being out of the home through gardening, attending car shows and concerts at Blue Gate theater in Shipshewana, and going on road trips in general… especially when they drive south until they find the sun. “She loves to stop at places and see the different sites that you cannot do from an airplane,” Dewey explained.
Some of Dewey’s favorite experiences with Edna have been road trips during the holidays, visiting his parents over Christmas. “I worship every minute of every day God has put us together,” Dewey said. The two can often be found enjoying the latest “Ednaisms,” which are words that Edna invents of her own from time to time.
Dewey expresses gratitude for the many lessons Edna has taught him, including being kind, thinking before acting, and to treat others as one would like to be treated. Dewey considers Edna a sunshine amidst life’s darkness and declared that he “loves her more than she will ever know.”
