Johanna may have looked like a little blonde Barbie doll but she was a good friend who was always there to stand up for you. Johanna discovered a love of geology in high school and would only consider going to Queen's. She loved every moment there.
She made a lot of good friends who were the ones to recommend this be a bursary instead of a scholarship. They knew Johanna would have approved. She made all her friends sign their organ donor cards telling of the importance of donating. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible when she died.
She was working in Bancroft after the Industry of Natural Resources after graduation for the summer and fall and in mid-September had a severe asthma attack which put her in intensive care in Peterborough for a few days.
After a week of rest she went back to work. On September 30th while eating dinner at her place she suffered an allergic reaction and called 911. Because she lived out of Bancroft it took too long to reach her and bring her in for treatment.
I was told by the staff in the hospital on September 29th a letter from Johanna had been published in the Bancroft and Peterborough papers to "thank all her friends, nurses and doctors who had saved her life two weeks earlier".
Always remember to say or write a thank you to those who do acts of kindness. It will be remembered for a long time.
This photo was taken by a 1st year student at Queen's who belonged to the Camera club and wanted to practice his photography. He was very upset when hearing about Johanna and apologized for not taking a better picture when giving me some copies. He said "if I'd only known how important they would be". Like anything in life you never know.
Johanna died at the age of 24 years on September 30, 1992.
