On Feb. 1, 2023, Germaine Johnston passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 89 years old. While her children Vicki and Craig referred to her as “Germie”, she was known as “Grammy” to her loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many more. Germ was born and raised in Charleroi where she graduated from Charleroi High School. After the death of her first husband, Victor, she inherited Vic’s Tavern, the family establishment in North Charleroi, where she was cook, bartender, manager and always had a sympathetic ear for those that needed it. If ever there was a grandmother out of central casting, Germaine was it. You could always find her in the kitchen, cooking her legendary cracker-ball soup and perogies or baking any of her signature cookies (the galettes and pizzelles were of particular note). It’s said you could never recreate one of her recipes, because you could never match her secret ingredient – love. Luckily, she always made three times the required amount of food. But Germaine was more than just a loving matriarch – more than anything, she enjoyed spending time at her cabin, and felt most fulfilled while resting on her porch swing and watching the lake and forest around her. Her beautiful nature will still be reflected every year to come in the cabin’s flower beds that she carefully nurtured. Her last year was brightened by the arrival of a new four-legged family member named Shelly. This rescue puppy provided hours of joy and will be Tom’s forever companion. Germaine’s smile and uplifting nature will be missed. She is the beloved wife of Tom Johnston; loving mother of Vicki Hladik (Patrick) Bryan and Craig (Jan Nelson) Hladik; proud grandmother of Craig (Alix) Bryan, Aaron (Sandy) Bryan, Dr. Nicolette (Chris) Eden and Tori Johnston; caring great-grandmother of Eloise and Sebastian Bryan; and stepmother of Jennifer Johnston and Laurie Johnston. She is also survived by her faithful canine companion, Shelly. Germaine was preceded in death by her first husband, Victor Hladik. Funeral arrangements by BEINHAUERS. Friends and family are welcome at 2828 Washington Road, McMurray, 724-941-3211, from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, where a funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. Friday. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Shelly’s rescue group, The Hero Rescue at www.theherorescue.com or Concordia Hospice, https://concordialm.org/donate/. Please add or view tributes at www.beinhauer.com.
