Alice Johnson Punwar passed away on July 16th, 2026, at the age of 93. She was born in 1932 on her Grandfather Ranum’s farm in rural Dane County. It was a difficult birth, and two country doctors had been called in and were able to deliver her safely into the world. Her parents were Alfred Johnson and Ella Ranum Johnson and in these depression years they lived in a small two-room house on the Ranum farm. Alice grew up among her grandpa’s bees, trailing around after him in the bee yard and getting rides on his homemade wheelbarrow.

When she was five, the family moved to Mt. Horeb so that she could attend kindergarten. Her father worked for the Dane County Highway Department as a patrolman and her mother, like most women of the time, was a full-time housewife. Alice went through the Mt. Horeb public school system and was a good student. She graduated from high school as part of the class of 1950. Ever since early childhood she had wanted to be a teacher like her Aunt Alice, so after graduation she headed for Whitewater to attend the state teacher’s college there. But she found it disappointing. It lacked the intellectual challenge that she was seeking. So after a year, she transferred to UW-Madison and entered the Occupational Therapy Program.

She had discovered this field while working as a counselor at Camp Wawbeek, a summer camp for handicapped children and adults. It offered the kind of challenge she was looking for and the UW campus provided plenty of intellectual stimulation. She met students from many states and countries, and it was here that she met her future husband. Jalamsinh Punwar was a graduate student from India, and they developed a close relationship. Alice graduated with a B.S. degree in Occupational Therapy in 1954 and a year later she and Jalam were married. Since his family opposed the marriage and no suitable jobs were available in India, they canceled their plans to live and work in India and instead settled in Madison. Jalam accepted a job at the Wisconsin Alumni Association Laboratory as an analytical chemist while Alice worked at Mendota State Hospital, then a large state mental institution.

Her career was temporarily interrupted by the birth of two sons, Jay and Kiran. During the 1960’s Alice developed an interest in the problems of learning disabled children and returned to the UW to work on a master’s degree in Behavioral Disabilities. She was supported by a full scholarship from the American Occupational Therapy Association and upon graduation she worked for a year as a learning disabilities teacher in the Madison Public School System. In 1968 she was recruited by her former professor and mentor, Caroline Thompson, to join the faculty of the Occupational Therapy Program and she spent the next twenty years teaching at the UW. Although she enjoyed her faculty role, she missed clinical work and so she also joined the staff of the Diagnostic and Treatment Unit of the Waisman Center where a team of health professionals evaluated children suspected of developmental disorders. She served three terms as Director of the Occupational Therapy Program, authored a popular textbook in the field and was active in state and national occupation therapy education groups.

Jalam had retired in 1987 and urged Alice to join him so that they could enjoy retirement together, so she retired from the faculty in 1988 with the rank of Professor Emerita. She and Jalam traveled extensively, visiting the UK, Europe, India, Sri Lanka, South America, Mexico and Hawaii. They enjoyed having more time for personal interests and family events. Alice had always enjoyed local history and writing, and managed to combine these interests when she edited a history of the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association and again when editing a history of the Midvale Heights neighborhood where she lived. Other interest included quilting and quilt collecting, needlework arts, reading, taking part in local political campaigns, serving as a poll worker, and volunteering at her local public elementary school.

When Jalam passed away in 2014, Alice sold their house and moved into a senior apartment building near her old neighborhood. There she lived independently for several years, continuing to pursue her varied interests. She continued to garden on a small scale, and she took part in local book clubs. She began a Little Free Library at her building and annually hosted holiday open houses for fellow residents.

Alice was predeceased by her parents, Alfred and Ella Johnson, her brother, Will Johnson, and her husband, Jalamsinh Punwar. Survivors include her sons Jay (Kathy) and Kiran (Valerie) Punwar, three grandchildren, Nathan (Kathleen Kyllo) Punwar, Alissa (Jim Adamczyk) Punwar, Jillian Punwar and four great-grandchildren, Ryan, Luke, Fern and Cass.

A visitation (1:00 - 2:00 p.m.) and memorial service (2:00 p.m.) will be held Saturday, August 1st at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd, Madison. Memorials may be made to Midvale Community Lutheran Church, The Madison Public Library Foundation, the UW Occupational Therapy Program, SAIL (Sharing Active Independent Lives) or a charity of your choice.

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Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road Madison

(608) 238-3434