Obituary of Carole Johannesson

Carole passed away on the morning of April 27, 2026, at University Gates in Waterloo, with her family by her side.

Survived by her beloved husband, Brian and their children, Allen Johannesson (Pernilla), Mark Johannesson (Cindy), Glen Johannesson, and Lynn Johannesson (Richard Leask). She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren, Staci, Jessica, Hanna, Amelia, and Konrad Johannesson and Evan and Charlotte Leask, and her great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Jaxson and Damian. She will also be remembered by her brother, Kenneth King.

Carole was born in Montreal to Lillian and Ken King in December 1939. She is the oldest of two children, with her brother Kenny arriving a few years later. She attended the Montreal High School for Girls and upon graduation went to work for “the Bell”, where she learned to draft.  Carole and Brian met at a Bell Engineering Department Christmas party in 1958 and were married in May 1960.  While living in Rosemere, north of Montreal, they had the three boys. In 1967 an interesting work opportunity arose for Brian, so the family packed up and moved to Waterloo. Lynn was born shortly after in 1969.

Carole had a broad and varied career – she did drafting/technical drawing work part time from home back when Glen and Lynn were still in Preschool. After that she worked at a bookstore, the Art Store, became a residential real estate agent, worked for a large business forms company and subsequently for the Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. She was one of the three founders of the Waterloo Co-op daycare, which Glen and Lynn attended.  While busy raising four kids and working part-time, Carole also managed to squeeze in a wide range of classes at the University of Waterloo. She took English and Psychology mainly.  Once her mother Lillian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Carole became very active with the organization, eventually sitting on the Board of Directors and later on advocating for people with dementia, as hers presented itself.  She loved tai chi and made many friends in that class. She loved sewing, baking, gardening, and summers at the cottage at Deanlea Beach. The seven grandchildren also kept Carole and Brian quite busy and were an absolute joy to them.

Special thanks to all the incredible staff at University Gates for their help over the last 2½ years and particularly to those that made our mother’s last few days so peaceful.

The celebration of life will take place at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S, Waterloo, in the Fireside reception room on Friday May 29, 2026, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., followed by the memorial at 6:00 p.m. and a subsequent reception until 7:30 p.m.

A recording of the funeral service will be available on Carole Johannesson’s tribute page at www.erbgood.com.

In lieu of flowers, condolences for the family or donations to Waterloo-Wellington Alzheimer’s Society may be arranged through the funeral home at 519-745-8445 or at www.erbgood.com.