Darlene Perotti; Sept. 23, 2011

Darlene Catherine Johnson Perotti, 89, of Madison, formerly of Collinsville, Ill., died Sept. 23 at Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville.

She was born Sept. 23, 1922, East St. Louis and was the daughter of Carl A. Johnson and Adeline L. Schumert.

She married James Anthony Perotti on Aug. 30, 1941, in Linderwood, Mo. He died Feb. 1, 1993.

Survivors include son, James M. (Ingrid) Perotti of Edwardsville, Ill.; daughters, Sharon K. Sharp and Renee Stanley, both of Madison; sisters, Jewel Ross of Tavernier, Fla., Joy McDowell of Hernando, Fla., Joyce Brockway of Belleville and Carol Smith of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; six grandchildren, Dawn, Tina, Kenny, Tony, Tami and Becky; 12 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by a son, Kevin A. Perotti on Nov. 26, 1981; and two brothers, Carl Andrew Johnson Jr. and Duane Johnson.

She had worked as a sales clerk at Sav-Mart in Collinsville, Ill. She attended Collinsville schools. She was an avid dancer and danced with her father in vaudeville in the late 1920s and ’30s from the age of 5 through her teen years. Her sister, Jewel, played the piano. She sang and danced at the Miner Theater in Collinsville and other places.

She taught tap and soft shoe dances and won many jitterbug contests in high school. She was a member of the kitchen band from Collinsville for several years. She worked at UFCW Local 534. She was also a past member of the Collinsville VFW. She loved camping. She was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison.

The funeral service was held at 11 a.m. Sept. 30 at Herbert A. Kassly Funeral Home in Collinsville. Burial was in St. John Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association .