Their Story
Margaret Louise (Finch) Johnson was born on September 18, 1924, in Emington, Illinois,[1] to Mr. and Mrs. George Finch. The family moved to Davenport, Iowa, where she graduated from Davenport High School, now Davenport Central High School.[2] After graduation, she worked at the local telephone company in Davenport, Iowa.[3]
Margaret enlisted in the WAVES[4] and served at the rank of (non-specified) Petty Officer third-class[5] for 19 months from 1944-1946 during World War II.[6] She was stationed with the U.S. Navy Aviation Supply Depot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[7]
Throughout World War II women contributed to the war effort in various fields. Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), a female-only unit of the U.S. Navy, was one such field.[8] The numerous contributions of the women of the WAVES proved to be a vital asset to winning the war. Congress was slow to recognize the need for women in the Navy, but President Roosevelt realized that servicewomen would be a wartime plus and signed the WAVES Corps into law on July 30, 1942.[9]
After completing service, she married Bernard Johnson on June 1, 1946, at Holy Family Catholic Church. They had courted through letters during World War II while she served in the Navy and Bernie served in the Army.[10]
Margaret worked at the Cone Library at Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, until her retirement in 1973.[11] She passed away on March 30, 1998, in Davenport, Iowa,[12] survived by her husband, two children, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.[13] She was interred at the National Cemetery at Rock Island Arsenal on April 3, 1998.[14]
[16]
Margaret Louise (Finch) Johnson, National Cemetery at Rock Island Arsenal, courtesy FindAGrave.com
[1] Quad-City Times
[2] The Daily Times
[3] Quad-City Times
[4] The Daily Times
[5] cem.va.gov
[6] The Daily Times
[7] Ancestry.com
[8] u-s-history.com
[9] Britannica.com
[10] Quad-City Times
[11] Quad-City Times
[12] The Dispatch
[13] Quad-City Times
[14] FindAGrave.com
[15] Defense.gov
[16] FindAGrave.com
References
REFERENCES
Becomes Bride. Margaret L (Finch) Johnson. (1946, June 01). The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. Accessed August 2022.
Enlisted Navy rates. Military.com. Accessed August 2022.
List of United States Navy enlisted rates. Wikipedia.com. Accessed August 2022.
Johnson-Finch wedding will be Saturday morning. (1946, May 31). Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. Accessed August 2022.
Margaret L (Finch) Johnson. Ancestry.com. Accessed August 2022.
Margaret L Johnson. Find-A-Grave.com. Accessed August 2022.
Margaret L Johnson. Fold3.com. Accessed August 2022.
Margaret L (Finch) Johnson, obituary. (1998, April 01). The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. Accessed August 2022.
Margaret L (Finch) Johnson, obituary. (1998, April 01). Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. Accessed August 2022.
Remembering Navy WAVES during women’s history month. (2017, March 03). U.S. Department of Defense.
Naval rates and ranks. PBS.org. Accessed August 2022.
Navy rank abbreviations (pdf). Accessed August 2022.
United States Navy. Accessed August 2022.
WAVES. Accessed August 2022.