The end of her story, but the legacy lives on

  • Kurt Johnson
    Kurt Johnson
  • Mom loved playing games, like Bingo, with her family and friends.
    Mom loved playing games, like Bingo, with her family and friends.

    I said my final goodbye last week to a very special lady.
    Elna Joann Johnson brought me into this world more than 63 years ago and continued to teach, nurture and encourage me every day since.
    Even in her final year of life, challenged by an aging body that could no longer keep pace with her sharp mind and kind spirit, Mom taught me how to make the most of life’s simplest pleasures. She embraced her faith and family with long hugs, games, tearful smiles and a quiet grace that always let you know where you stood.
    I am saddened that she is no longer with us, but I am also at peace knowing she is finally at peace. Forever.
    Mom had a gift for making each of her children feel special and as her youngest son I carry countless cherished memories. She always seemed to have an encouraging word at just the right moment. When we needed correction, she offered it with a gentle nudge rather than a harsh tone or critical word. That was simply her way, and as a youngster I assumed all mothers did the same.
    What made my heart swell during the funeral and the days after she passed was realizing just how many lives Mom touched beyond our family. Friends, former colleagues and even people I barely knew shared stories of her kindness and generosity. Again and again, they described the same woman we knew at home.
    She invited people in.
    Newcomers were welcomed to church, gathered around our dinner table, invited to spend time at the family cabin on Enders Lake, attend a press association event or join a community celebration. She had a remarkable ability to make people feel they belonged. She was genuine to her core and left people with smiles, memories and the certainty that someone cared about them.
    What a gift. What a legacy.
    Mom was an accomplished woman in her own right, though you would never have heard that from the source. She received state and national recognition for her leadership and service, but her motivation was never personal acclaim. She simply wanted to help others. She did things the right way when nobody was watching because that’s who she was.
    As a Master Editor-Publisher honoree, Mom devoted much of her professional life to community journalism. Alongside my late father, she lived and breathed community. Together they used their newspaper not simply to report the news, but to strengthen the places and people they loved.
    Journalists have long used the symbol “30” to signify the end of a story. For generations of newspaper people, it has been a simple but meaningful sign-off. So it seems fitting to offer one final salute to my friend, mentor and beloved mother. 
    Your story is finished, Mom, but your legacy lives on in a family, a church and a community that are better because you were here. Rest in peace.
    — 30 —
    KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net