Johnson, Jean RuthIthaca: After a very brief illness, Jean Johnson passed away at Cayuga Medical Center on Monday March 28, 2011. She was 87. According to her wishes, Jean's body has been donated to Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. || Jean is survived by her devoted husband of 61 years, Ayrton Robert, her loving daughters Cathy Spengler and Ann Leontaras and their husbands Mike and Vassili, her grandchildren Kosta and Aimilia Leontaras, and her beloved sister Evelyn Davis, sister-in-law Lillian Johnson, and eight nieces and nephews. || Daughter of Harry and Milly Shemming, Jean was born and raised in Rochester, New York. She and Ayrton have resided happily in Ithaca since 1965. After retiring from Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology in 1981, Jean devoted her time to volunteering at the Red Cross and The Service League, and to her many and varied creative pursuits. || There will be a celebration of her life on Friday April 8, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Lifelong (119 West Court Street, Ithaca), during which family and friends will have an opportunity to share with each other memories of Jean. If wished, a contribution may be made in Jean's memory to The Service League (104 West Seneca Street, Ithaca, 14850-4138).