Pat Johnson Tribute

Pat Johnson's sons, Greg, Bert and Bill (middle three), receive their mother's Hall of Fame award from Gil Martinez, AARP-NM State President (left), and Stan Cooper, AARP-NM State Director (right).

Pat Johnson was inducted posthumously into the American Association of Retired Persons, New Mexico state chapter, Hall of Fame on Nov. 28, 2006, during the AARP-NM volunteers recognition banquet in Albuquerque.

Gil Martinez, State President of AARP-NM, presented the award to Pat Johnson's three sons, Greg, Bert and Bill, during the banquet at the Embassy Suites Hotel.

During the presentation, Mr. Martinez said, "Patricia Johnson of Albuquerque passed away in August of 2005. She was a strong leader for AARP New Mexico in the 1990s.

"Her passion was health care and finding adequate health care for older New Mexicans. She served as State Director, the top AARP volunteer in the state from 1995 through 1998.

"Some of her many accomplishments included moving AARP New Mexico into direct partnership with the Health Department and the need to enhance long-term care opportunities for New Mexicans. She enacted progressive reforms in the State Leadership Council, which transformed the various AARP Divisions in the State from simple communication efforts to true coordination.

"She pioneered the concept of AARP Days in the State, and recruited a more diverse set of individuals to top leadership positions. She pushed to get AARP more involved in the Navajo Nation and helped start a public benefits outreach project on the Nation.

"Under Pat’s direction, the first AARP Information Center came to New Mexico and was housed at the Winrock Mall in Albuquerque. She got involved in Turning Point, which lead to our work on Livable Communities. She partnered with the Albuquerque Area Agency on Aging helping recruit 350 volunteers for Connections for Independent Living Project," Mr. Martinez said.

Bill Johnson recently wrote to Stan Cooper, State Director of AARP-NM, to thank him, Mr. Martinez and AARP-NM for the wonderful tribute given to his mother. He stated in his letter, "I want you to know that before my mom died, she told me that of her many years of public service she thought her work with AARP was the most meaningful. She felt that she had finally made a big difference working on the grassroots level after her many years of attempting to accomplish her goal of acquiring universal healthcare for all Americans.

"I believe that this issue will again (and soon) be on the forefront of American politics and that my mother's tenuous work in the field of healthcare planning for universal healthcare will not be in vain. I only wish that she were alive today to see what she personally has accomplished, including receiving her induction into the AARP-NM Hall of Fame," Bill Johnson said.

Patricia Dailey Johnson, 80, of Albuquerque, NM, died Sunday, Aug. 21, 2005, after a long illness. She was an avid supporter of the Desert Journal, being the mother of the publisher. She was born April 10, 1925, in Indianapolis, IN, to Elizabeth Vogt and Joseph L. Dailey Sr. She moved with her family to New Mexico when she was six months old and was a resident of Albuquerque most of her life. She graduated from Sandia Girls School in Albuquerque and Smith College in Massachusetts.

She was a social worker and health planner with the State of New Mexico Department of Health and Human Services for many years, retiring in 1987. She was known throughout the state for her work.

As past state president of the New Mexico Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), her main pursuit was universal health care coverage for all. She was honored with the Silver Horizons New Mexico 2002 Senior Hall of Fame Award (pictured above) and recognized for her lifetime commitment to community service. As a senior advocate, she had said it's issues like the lack of universal health care in this country that drove her to work hard on behalf of all New Mexicans, young and old.

She enjoyed traveling during her early retirement and playing bridge and other card games with her many friends. She supported the Albuquerque Little Theatre, Albuquerque Civic Light Opera and Albuquerque Zoo. She attended the Hillside Community Church at Jefferson and Zuni SE.

Survivors include her four sons, Gregory F. Johnson and wife Clara, Martin D. Johnson, William L. "Bill" Johnson and wife Teresa of Desert Journal fame, and Steffen R. "Bert" Johnson, all of Albuquerque; her brother, James F. Dailey of Toledo, OH; her sister, Pamela D. Gatschet of Syracuse, NY; her grandchildren, Allison Thompson and husband Matt, Amber and Courtney Johnson, and Joshua L. Ebberts; her great-grandchildren, Paris Ebberts, Veruca Morgan and Stewart Morgan; numerous nieces, nephews and countless friends. She was preceded in death by her brother Joseph L. Dailey Jr. in 1989, and her granddaughter Gina M. Ebberts in June 2004.

Viewing will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at Strong-Thorne Mortuary, 1100 Coal Ave. SE, where a memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, with Pastor Chuck Kofahl of Tramway Community Church officiating.

Pat Johnson and great-grandson Stewart Morgan celebrate their 80th and 1st birthdays together on April 10, 2005.

I guess that, as Mom’s third son, I would have something to say and that is my right, my privilege, my honor to share a few words about my mother, Patricia Dailey Johnson.

I am particularly proud of my mother’s work – I personally believe she should have been the one to write a book about social work or health care planning. But that’s not what my take is about today – we all know about mom’s successes and failures and what NOTS during her long career.

In spite of all of the hours, sometimes days and weeks that she spent working, she always had time for her family. She always had time to take me to swim practices, sometimes twice daily, five times a week; and volunteer her time at my swimming meets. Yes, indeed I felt very close to her, as we all have felt close to her one time or another.

But what I wanted to talk about today has been bugging me for some time now, ever since the year 1976 when I had just exited the Navy. On the way home to Albuquerque, I picked up my Dad in Sedona and the only words of our conversation that I truly remember him saying were, quoting him now, “YOU’RE MOTHER SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MAN!” Period. I can’t say why he said those profound words, except that perhaps it was because my mother chose to have a career while she was still with Dad.

By this time of Dad’s infamous words, my parents had been divorced for nearly 13 years. But if Dad was still alive today, I would say to him and the rest of the world, “SHE WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!!!”

My mother went to work in a man’s world, making woman’s pay, but probably put in twice or thrice the effort or amount of time that any man would, or could, do. And she brought what little bread she had earned home and made sure her four sons had everything they needed. And, I might add, she depended on no one for support. I mean, absolutely NO ONE but herself.

And I always will remember her saying that she would have it no way else. That if she was reborn into this world, she would want the same four boys. I mean, she would re-live the same pain-in-the-neck troubles that made her the wonderful, compassionate, loving, nurturing and most generous mother of them all.

I mean generous, you could say she was SANTA CLAUS at Christmas time, the Bunny Rabbit at Easter, the spook at Halloween – she was ALL spirit and she loved her family and she made sure that we were taken care of. Not only us four boys. I mean, one summer, she took in my best boyhood friend – then about age 15 – Ron Brim and two of his transient friends – and even had Ron stay so he could attend the fall semester of high school. That’s how generous she was, never mind her endless gifts at birthdays, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

But the one thing I will say that I will truly miss is how my mother had managed to unify the entire family, all four brothers, her nieces (our cousins), everyone – she used to have the busiest work weeks but on Saturday nights she could cook up a storm of her homemade spaghetti or enchiladas or what NOTS for not only her sons and nieces and who NOTS, but I mean their wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, just friends and who NOTS…

My mother never stood for divisiveness, disunity and disharmony. No, instead she was a promoter, an instigator, of unity and togetherness and good times, despite all of our differences - political, religious or what NOTS, she did not allow anything to stand in the way of that wonderful and mystical thing that is missing from many families’ lives today.

And she loved the little ones – you wouldn’t believe the smiles and tolerance and love she had for her great-grandchildren. And she was 80 years old, an age when many elderly shun children and their noise and what NOTS, but NOT my Mom, she had the same compassion and love and fairness for everyone in the family and she frequently asked us this summer when we were coming over for swimming, and we DID.

That’s all I have to say, except that I’ll also miss her dearly. The late afternoon before she left this planet, she struggled to utter words into my ears – it was her wish that everyone – I suppose she meant her family and friends – was comfortable. I suppose that was so that she could graciously enter her pathway into the heavens – I believe she knew she was leaving us and she wanted us to have comfort in knowing that is what she wanted.

…Lastly, Mom was the thread that held my life together many times, but now I’m strong. Yes, indeed, she leaves behind a legacy - me, my brothers and everything she represented that is true and full of love and is just her.

I’ve known Pat a very long time - - since the early 1970’s when I received a phone call from her stating that she was a health planner with the Department of Human Services - - and I was just beginning with programs to develop senior citizen programs in Albuquerque - Bernalillo County.

She asked to meet with me because at that time we were creating a program that was all about helping seniors, active seniors, in all of the senior centers in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and throughout the state. I learned very quickly in meeting with her for an hour that day that we were forgetting about those that were frail. And in subsequent years we developed what was called a continuum of care, where it was a spectrum that goes from a healthy active senior in the services all the way through to where people became dependent and home-bound and of course where they were in their latter years of life.

It was very much a case of meeting an individual who was very special. It’s very rare in your lifetime where you meet someone like Pat. She was a visionary. And as a result of the vision of the professional interest that she had, we started programs in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, with an $18,000 grant for homecare services, which has exploded today into adult day care, respite care for homebound people and to take care of their caregivers; many services to the tune of over $1.5 million. And so I think her memory in the programs, whether the seniors know it or not, are due very much in part to Pat and her efforts.

But in addition to that, she always had a smile. We were friends that saw each other a lot. Not recently - unfortunately… for me. But, she was, again, my mentor, certainly my friend, and I love her very deeply. And her spirit will be with us for a very long time.

There are many things I could say about Aunt Pat but I will mention one thing about her that made her so important to me.

While many kids leave their family to go away to college, I started my freshman year here at UNM; and then in November, the military moved my parents away from me. I moved into a dormitory and watched my family drive away. I was immediately homesick. In the military, your immediate family is the only constant in your life. Everything and everyone else is temporary. Grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles are people you visit.

But I soon learned that family, and all that entails, can extend beyond Mom and Dad, and siblings. Thanksgiving came and Aunt Pat included me with the rest of my Albuquerque relatives. Then every Saturday Aunt Pat included me in her family dinner, along with all the rest of the Albuquerque clan, and our friends. Every Sunday, Meano (my grandmother) took us all out for dinner. There was never a Saturday or Sunday when we weren't all invited to be together as a family. My cousins and I have a lot of memories together because of that. And later, I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun reminiscing about it.

Besides getting a break from dormitory food and besides having that secure feeling that Aunt Pat was here if I needed help, I had a feeling of constancy, of belonging.

Four years and many Saturdays later, I graduated from UNM. I got a job here in Albuquerque. The Saturday night dinners continued. Christmas came and because of my job, I couldn't go home to be with Mom and Dad, and sisters Eileen and Cheryl, for Christmas. Aunt Pat had me over to share Christmas with her and my cousins.

Aunt Pat was my mother away from my mother. She was the glue holding the family together. She showed me that the civilian world is made up of grandmothers, uncles, cousins, aunts often living in the same community and what that can mean. I moved away from Albuquerque 25 years ago. But because of Aunt Pat, and Meano too, I still think of Albuquerque as home, because, although Mom and Dad don't live here, most of my family does. And I can make friends, but for me, they will always be temporary. But my real home and heart will always be with my family.

I love Aunt Pat, I miss her. She is leaving a large hole in the family. But because of her, I think we all learned how to be a family and we should not forget the example she was and we should not forget that we are still in this world together, as a family.

I want to give my special love to my mother and to my Uncle Jimmy who now only have each other left of their original family. I also give my love to my cousins Greg, Mart, Billy and Bert who have lost their parents.

Since I moved away, I wasn't able to be with Aunt Pat as much as I would have wanted in her last years, months and days. So I also want to thank the Albuquerque clan who were here to visit with Aunt Pat and help her ease into her final hours. In particular, I thank my sisters Eileen and Cheryl for their help and their love for our Aunt Pat.

A couple of months ago my mother and I were visiting together at her condo. This was at the stage of her life when she was starting to struggle with the simpler tasks of everyday living.

I told her that there were plenty of people around who could help her and that all she had to do was ask. Such a lot of sadness came to her features and she said, "I'm the one who has always cared for everyone else - I don't know how to ask for help."

Yesterday my cousin Bert gave me a CD that Aunt Pat got for me. There is a song on it that's called "I Will Remember" - the lyrics are, "I will remember you, will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by..." and it goes on like that. All of us will remember Aunt Pat.

Several months ago we were talking and I was telling Aunt Pat about how many years ago I went to Meano's grave to pray for Kyle who had been in a terrible car accident. She told me it wasn't necessary to go to her grave to pray, and that's good with gas prices being the way they are.

So, I'll be talking to a lot, Aunt Pat, particularly when I'm sure you'll agree with me. So when you get a call from "Sweetie Love," don't forget that you started calling me that...