Agnes Johns Sweet

Agnes Johns Sweet passed away December 16 at the age of 97 at an assisted living facility near her Rancho Bernardo home.

 Agnes was born April 18, 1921 on her family’s farm near Farmville, VA, the youngest of seven children. She accepted her husband’s marriage proposal on their third date, lived in Pittsburgh, PA, for more than 20 years where she bore five children, and spent nearly 50 years in the San Diego area.

She made friends easily, loved parties, treasured her regular games of bridge and enjoyed extensive travel with her husband “Ted” until his death at age 74.

Agnes graduated from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia and was a hospital lab technician in Richmond, VA, before she married. She helped Ted in their insurance agency in La Jolla after the move to California and she also was a real estate agent for several years.

Agnes is survived by daughter Kathryn and sons David, Tom and Bob, by eight grandchildren and by four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter Margaret “Peggy.”  Agnes’ parents were Monroe and Margaret “Mamie” Johns who lived on a Virginia dairy farm that dates back to before the Civil War.

She enjoyed reading biographies and gardening. For example, at age 96 she read Hamilton by Ron Chernow, listened to the Broadway musical score, and read the lyrics in order to enjoy watching the musical – which she did in person.

She was fiercely independent and lived in her own home on her own terms until age 97 when her health failed abruptly following a fall on her daily walk in the neighborhood.

Her advice to people who asked for her secret to living a long life was to keep having fun!

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the American Heart Association:

https://www.heart.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give

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