Christine W. Johnson

Christine Lincke Wilson Johnson, 84, was born on April 2, 1938, in Hopewell Virginia. Her parents, Dr. W. Trent Wilson and Emily Lincke also raised two sons, Trent Jr., and Maurice. Chris attended Hopewell High School, where she was not only a cheerleader and Editor of the school newspaper, but was also was named "Miss Kaleidoscope." She attended Longwood College, where she studied History and Elementary Education, and was president of The Kappa Delta Sorority.
In 1960, she married her high school sweetheart, Benjamin Johnson. They lived first in New York City, where Chris worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while Ben studied art. They went on to live in Florence, Italy, Belgium, and again in northern Virginia, before settling in Santa Monica, California, where they remained for many years. Ben Johnson was the founder and director of The L.A. County Museum of Art Conservation Lab. He predeceased Chris in 1990. While living in Los Angeles, Chris was on the Board of Directors of the UCLA Art Council. She was an Executive Secretary for Eisaman, Johns and Laws Advertising Agency, and was also a real estate broker for many years. Ben and Chris raised their two children, Mark and Elena, in Santa Monica.
In the late 1980s, Chris moved to Nashville, North Carolina, her mother's home town. She worked as an Editor and Journalist for The Nashville Graphic, the newspaper her grandfather, Maurice Lincke founded over 100 years ago. She was very active in Kiwanis during this period of her life. After a brief interlude in Virginia Beach, Chris made her way back to Hopewell to be close to her mother-in law, Mary Lee Johnson.
In 2006, she rekindled her "elementary school crush" with Hopewell native, Leonard "Winkie" Leslie. Chris and Winkie built a wonderful life together in Hopewell. They also spent a great deal of time at his home in Deltaville, on the Rappahannock River, and many winters between Cape Canaveral and Chris' home in Santa Monica.
They enjoyed raising three grandchildren in their blended family, Mason, son of Elena and David Mitchell; and Bray and Ava, son and daughter of Sonja and Leonard Leslie, Jr.
Chris leaves behind her loving partner, Winkie; her daughter and family, Elena, David, and Mason; her stepson and family, Lynn, Sonja, Bray and Ava; her son and wife, Mark and Kimberly; nephews, Christopher Lincke Wilson and Scott Ashlyn Wilson; and niece, Elizabeth L. Wilson; as well as several other cousins.
A memorial service will be held at J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home in Hopewell, Virginia, on April 11, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in name of Christine Johnson to the Alzheimer's Association or Unicef.