Beryl “Randy” Johnson wasn’t one to wait for the middleman on pertinent issues.
When her son, Mark Johnson, suffered a severe gum disease while serving in the U.S. Army in the 1970s — a time when dental checkups were optional — Beryl Johnson contacted the inspector general in Washington, D.C. Now, the Army requires all those who serve to get an annual dental checkup.
To change an institution like the U.S. Army took a certain kind of effect, said Mark Johnson of Denver.
“She didn’t suffer fools lightly,” said her daughter, Catherine Higgins of Readfield, Maine. “Quite seriously, if there were mistakes made, she made sure something was done about it.”
Mrs. Johnson died Feb. 13 at age 88.
She was a writer, whose sharp letters to Post-Gazette editors provided commentary on topics ranging from Margaret Thatcher to natural gas drilling taxes. She was always writing — to editors, managers or anyone who could set something right at her suggestion, said Higgins.
Originally from Brockton, Massachusetts, Beryk Johnson attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, before transferring to the University of Wisconsin in 1945, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees in counselor education from the University of Pittsburgh.
Once settled in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, Johnson worked as a psychologist at Dixmont State Hospital until it closed in 1984. There she developed a community re-entry program for long-term institutionalized patients. She served as superintendent of Warren State Hospital from 1984 to 1988, when she retired.
She also was involved in various community organizations, including the Governor’s Family First Task Force, the Allegheny County Conservation District, Moon Township Government Study Commission and the Moon Township Parks and Recreation Board.
Johnson founded the annual Parks and Recreational Earth Day program in 2000 and served as a coordinator for the event for 11 years. She was always researching new projects she could do with kids for Earth Day, said Higgins.
Lance Welliver, director of the Moon parks and recreation department, said Johnson was influential in the event’s growth, and would reach out to him often with new ideas for activities. Today, the program provides 15 to 20 interactive exhibits, including a visit from the National Aviary.
“She was a fantastic person to work with and very involved,” said Welliver.
In addition to her son and daughter, Beryl Johnson also is survived by her husband, Rodney; another daughter, Karen Johnson of Moon; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Robin Hill Center, Moon, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 11.
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