A tribute to Wanda Fortunee Meriems Johnson

January 18, 1915 – August 15, 2020

By Carol Wanda Johnson Collins

August, 1, 2020: Wanda's last outing outside. Hospice nurse Dave Caterino (left) captured this moment on his iphone with caregiver and friend Pam (Cubit) Perry of Waterbury (center), Wanda (seated), and the author, Carol Collins (right). "I was extremely surprised that he convinced her to go on the outing. I picked the sunflower for her, and buzzed over on my bike," Collins said. Courtesy photo.

Mummy, Wanda, Vandina, Grandmere, Mom, Mama. At age 105 1/2, Wanda Fortunee Meriems Johnson passed away in her home, with her daughter and son-in-law with her on August 15, 2020.

Mummy “did not go gentle into that goodnight … she raged against the dying of the light.” She took her role as mother very seriously and did not feel that her job was done. As her body finally failed her, she had to accept that her children would be okay.

Wanda Fortunee Meriems in 1938. Courtesy photo.

Wanda was born January 18, 1915 in Heliopolis (City of the Sun), a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. Her first language was Italian from her Austrian-born mother. Her second language was Arabic, the language of the people of Egypt. Many of her daily expressions, such as “In Ch’allah” (if God is willing) were in Arabic. She also was exposed to Hebrew, the language of her Jewish faith. Her fourth language was French, when she attended L’Ecole Francaise. Her fifth language was English when she attended the American College for Girls and the British Evening Institute. She loved French from “le premier mot” (the first word) and communicated in French with her family. Toward the end of her life, she began singing in Italian several lullabies/songs/rhymes that she learned as a small child from her mother. 

She had three sisters: Olga, Florette and Rose, and one brother, Jojo. All were younger than she, yet all died before her. As a young girl she took piano lessons and playing pieces by the classical composers gave her and her family pleasure for much of her life.

In Egypt, she worked as a secretary for the Metosian tobacco company and Warner Bros., where her work involved translating French to English.  

In 1939, she and a group of co-workers traveled to America to attend the New York City World’s Fair where she was extremely impressed with scientific advances such as television.  

Wanda and Bob on ship to Alexandria, Egypt, and Beirut, Lebanon, 1939. Courtesy photo.

An American, Bob Johnson, freshly out of Harvard, was on the same ship as Wanda. He met her, fell in love, and proposed marriage, all in the four days before she was to disembark at Alexandria, Egypt. He was on his way to his new teaching job at the American University at Beirut, Lebanon.  

Wanda suggested that they correspond, not willing to commit to anything more serious. My father said he could provide a simple life.  As a university instructor he only earned $650 for an entire year and he shared with her his dream of becoming a farmer.

From 1939-1941 they wrote back and forth and visited with great difficulty during World War II. In 1941, they eloped at the American Embassy in Cairo and they left on a ship for America, passing through the Suez Canal and continuing around Africa and on to New York. The trip took 69 days. She often said that leaving her parents and siblings was one of the hardest things she ever did. 

After Bob worked at several unpleasant jobs in the city just scraping by, Wanda and Bob moved to West Townshend, Vt., and began farming and sugaring with Bob’s uncle, Fred Butler of East Jamaica. Bob and Wanda now had three children; Cordy, Bobby and Curley (Carol).  

The family’s moves included a Vermont-Life-magazine-picture-perfect farm in Grafton, Vt., Texas for a year, back to Grafton, and then a larger farm in West Brattleboro, Vt. Wanda took a secretarial job in the Brattleboro Recreation Department and some proofreading jobs. 

In 1959 she began teaching French in the five elementary schools in Brattleboro where she focused on conversation and songs. To stay in this position, she needed an education degree which she pursued at Keene State College, graduating in 1964 with a BA in education. In 1967, she received her MA in French literature from Smith College.

For 18 years, she taught French in Vermont and Massachusetts to elementary, middle school, high school and university students and later tutored students in French.

 In 1982 my parents bought a cottage in Biddeford, Maine, which became a gift their extended family has enjoyed for almost 40 years.

For 28 years, she and her husband of 54 years, Robert L. Johnson Sr. owned and operated The Book Case used book store in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass. They bought thousands of books from scholars. Wanda amassed a personal collection of 3,000 books, donating 1,000 of them in 2001 to Keene State College’s French department.

Wanda Johnson at age 100. Photo by Gordon Miller.

When she and Bob approached their 80s, their children designed and built the Round House for them along Route 100 in South Duxbury and in 1994, they moved in. Bob died in 1995 and Wanda lived on with much family support.

For approximately 20 years until 2018, her son, Cordy Johnson of Moretown, kept Wanda company, helped fix simple meals, and drove her wherever she needed to go until he couldn’t anymore. My mom loved to make food as gifts, to show her love. Potato salad was her specialty that was featured on a “Super Seniors” segment on WCAX-TV. 

Every time our daughter, Eliza, brought her family, David, Asher and Felix, my mom brightened up and remembered their visit the next day. Several times beloved friends, the Zeichner Family Band, performed for Mummy.

By September 2018, extra care was needed and I gradually built an amazing team: Sharon Turner of Simplicity Farm in Waitsfield and from Long Term Care at Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice; Suzy Markowitt of Warren; Pam (formerly Cubit) Perry of Waterbury; our son, Seth, of Berlin, whose care my mom really appreciated; Federica Velutini-Hoffmann of Waitsfield; Neiza Verges from Five Ways Farm in Warren; Marieta Warnstedt from Waterbury. Our neighbor, Tedin Lange of South Duxbury, was a devoted visitor for over a year; Rachel Corey of Moretown brought library books and conversation. Two hospice volunteers, Sharon Dube and Robin Cohen, came to help us recently and Dr. Jonna Goulding from hospice made a home visit. 

I was extremely impressed with how our team members made this work -- sometimes sleeping over -- to keep my mother in her own home until the end. Without them we never could have done it. 

For two years, CVHHH provided LNAs regularly, once a day in the last month and were invaluable. Ashley came the most, but all of them -- Florence, Liz, Donna, Heather, Bonnie -- worked faithfully and my mom did appreciate their help. Dave Caterino, hospice nurse, (“Doctor Dave”) stuck with us to the end. They all deserve the highest praise.

Mummy told me that she had wanted to be a writer. She and Dad left us copies of their love letters, and she left us a memoir. We’ll read and share them with our children and grandchildren.  Those gifts will keep on giving.