Springville resident who survived World War Two finds joy in flowers

SPRINGVILLE, Utah (ABC4) —Springville resident Ann Johnson-Stone finds peace among her one-of-a-kind English Garden, but her joy for flowers began long before she moved to Utah.

As a kid, she grew up in Manchester, England during World War Two, with her father being a pilot for the British Royal Air Force. She remembers the bombing raids that would happen on a daily basis.

“It was very frightening. We were in the shelter day and night,” Johnson-Stone said. “I can remember being out in the front yard when a German bomber came over. And I swear, as a youngster, if I stood on my toes, I could reach the plane. So I was afraid they would see me.”

She says during turblent times, it was flowers that helped make her smile.

“After World War Two, we planted roses all over the garden, and we loved it,” Johnson-Stone added. “It was kind of a renewal for us, that we could express ourselves in planting beautiful flowers and roses particularly.”

Her garden covers the front, back and sides of her house, a joy she first shared with her mother.

“Mother and I loved flowers, and we worked on the garden,” Johnson-Stone said. “Being so close to a major town in England, we had a beautiful garden just full of flowers. And it just gives you a warm heart to see a beautiful flower. Maybe not everybody feels that way, but for us, it was the joy that we had missed during the war.”

Now in her 80’s, Ann says the joy she found in those flowers is still there.

“Gardening warms my soul. What can I say, I love it.”