by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
Lou Ann Hillman said her sister, alumna Dee Johnson, was one of the hardest working first ladies of New Mexico, but her family and friends also remember her as a humble person who loved life, laughter and people.
Johnson died of natural causes on Dec. 21. She was 54.
Cori Ewing, Johnson's sister, said growing up with the former first lady of New Mexico was always an adventure, whether running around UNM as children or taking ski trips to northern
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New Mexico.
"Dee was born with natural charisma," she said.
Ewing spoke at a memorial service Saturday in the SUB. About 375 people attended the event, including Gov. Bill Richardson and former Gov. Gary Johnson.
Attendees celebrated Dee Johnson's life by hearing stories from friends and family members and indulging in her favorite treats - Starbucks coffee and Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
Dee Johnson was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and she majored in special education. She was active with UNM's Alumni Association and recently managed the project to renovate Hodgin Hall into the Alumni Center.
Karen Abraham, executive director of the Alumni Association, said Johnson was perfect for the job because she was organized, saw what needed to be done and made it happen.
"She really had all the talent we needed to get that done," she said. "It was just Dee."
Abraham said the University was special to Dee Johnson.
"It was part of who she was, and she continued to stay
involved with the University," she said. "I think the University represented to her the part of her life that was the best."
Gary Johnson said his ex-wife was modest, despite working hard to accomplish her goals.
"She was a person of action," he said.
Dee Johnson was the first lady of New Mexico from 1995 to the end of 2002. The Johnsons
divorced in 2005.
Ewing said her sister lived by principles that shaped her unique personality.
"Run everywhere. It gives you more time to play," she said. "Look out for others. Someday, they may be looking out
for you."
Lifelong friend Susan Stamm Evans spoke at the service. She said Dee Johnson could befriend anyone, because she was smart, funny and good-looking.
"Girls liked Dee, and boys liked Dee," she said. "It could've been easy to be jealous of Dee, but that's not the feelings she evoked."
Evans said she told her husband that she didn't know how to praise Dee Johnson at the memorial service, but he reminded her that she didn't need to.
"It's not my place to honor Dee," she said. "The way she lived her life - Dee honored Dee."
Elizabeth Garvey, Dee Johnson's chief of staff during Gary Johnson's years in office, spoke about the former first lady's work in New Mexico. Her service to the state included increasing child literacy by volunteering at schools. She also brought mobile mammography machines to American-Indian reservations.
Garvey said Dee Johnson worked to empower women and organized a project where 2,000 women built a house for Habitat for
Humanity.
"She was what some people call stubborn, but I like to think of it as determined," she said. "New Mexico is a better place because Dee Johnson was our first lady."
