HOBE SOUND — Lillian Johnson, a longtime volunteer and fundraiser for the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce and other nonprofits, died of cardiac arrest June 21, about a week after she tested positive for COVID-19, said her son, Anders Johnson.
The 93-year-old — who would have turned 94 July 9 — was best known in Hobe Sound for her 23 years as organizer and primary fundraiser for the annual Christmas parade. She was head of the parade committee from 1995 through 2017, and then trained her successor in 2018.
She had been living in the independent wing of the Stuart Lodge assisted living facility when she began showing symptoms for the virus on June 13, her son Anders said from Denver, Colorado. She was taken to Cleveland Clinic Martin North, where she tested positive for the coronavirus, and was moved to the hospital’s COVID-19 unit.
The native of Brooklyn, New York, started volunteering for the chamber in 1988, shortly after she and her husband, Norman, who died in 2004, moved from Long Island. They had been married for 54 years.
Lillian Johnson said in a 2012 interview that she began volunteering in the chamber office because she was looking for something to do on the three days a week her husband played golf.
More: 33rd annual Hobe Sound Chamber Christmas parade
“Under her leadership, the parade grew from a few walkers and bikers to 93 entrants with every mode of transportation imaginable,” said Angela Hoffman, who was the chamber’s CEO from 2011 to 2019.
She had a way about her, so nobody could say no to her, Hoffman said.
“When raising funds, Lillian was able to blow past gatekeepers and reach CEOs and top-level executives, many of whom, she had their personal cell numbers,” Jennifer Ferrari, who was chamber CEO for 10 years before Hoffman, said in an email.
“I learned a lot from her — boldness and honesty were two of the most important lessons,” Ferrari said. “She had a Long Island edge with a Hobe Sound heart.”
Lillian Johnson raised thousands of dollars for the chamber of commerce as well as other local charities over the years, Ferrari said.
She was still fundraising even in her final days before she was hospitalized, she said.
“She set the bar very high, but once you earned her respect, she would do anything for you," Hoffman said.
Hobe Sound resident Elizabeth Hubbard, who said she became close friends with Lillian Johnson when they were both widowed within a year of each other, said she spoke with her on the phone a few times during the week she was in the hospital.
“She was pretty disappointed with what had befallen her,” Hubbard said. “She was still optimistic, and also somewhat despondent.”
More: 6 best things to do in Hobe Sound
Hubbard said Lillian Johnson was an excellent cook who had a knack for “making the simplest recipe delicious."
Ferrari said she learned a lot from Lillian Johnson.
“Boldness and honesty were two of the most important lessons,” she said.
Anders Johnson said his mother will be laid to rest in New York alongside her husband. He said he hopes to have a memorial service for her in Hobe Sound “after the pandemic subsides.”
"sound" - Google News
July 01, 2020 at 10:47PM
https://ift.tt/2YNUGoX
Lillian Johnson, volunteer and fundraiser for Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce, dies after COVID-19 battle - TCPalm
"sound" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MmdHZm
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
