Donor Story: Aloma Johnson

A teacher for over 30 years, ‘Miss Johnson’ educated, nurtured and loved generations of students and rarely forgot a name or face. That many of her former students became friends and continued to keep in touch with Aloma well into their adult years is testament to the positive effect she had on her students.

Although she claimed she could not sing, music was one of Aloma’s great passions, a love she shared with scores of her students and the many senior citizens her choirs would entertain. After retirement, Aloma continued her interest in music by volunteering with Eleanor Connor’s Gilbert and Sullivan theatre group.

Aloma was also very talented in cooking, arts and crafts and interior decorating. She was justifiably proud of her ‘showcase’ home and loved to cook and decorate for many holidays, dinners and special events. Her flare for arts and crafts brought her to scrapbooking and then to researching and creating beautiful souvenir histories of her family genealogy.

Sharing her parents’ love of gardening, Aloma was a former member of the Sudbury Horticultural Society and earned her title as Master Gardener. She spent many pleasurable hours tending the gardens and flower beds at her Bayview condo and her parents’ place in Moonglo.

Aloma had a phenomenal knack for remembering people and events and loved to share these fond memories of past experiences and life’s comical and embarrassing moments with her family and friends. She was a natural for organizing Wembley P.S. staff reunions and helping with the Sudbury Secondary band reunion. So keenly aware of the past, Aloma was also a woman of the present, adept at travelling the world through her computer and communicating with others through e-mail and Facebook. Nary a day would go by without a joke, picture or inspiring message from Aloma.

While she was multi-talented and pursued many interests after retirement from teaching, Aloma was perhaps most proud of the tender, loving care she was able to provide for her aging parents until their deaths. Family was important to Aloma and her parents Lester and Margaret, brother Ken, sister-in-law Pierrette, nephews Marc, Mathieu, David, niece Emilie and great nephew and nieces brought her immense love, joy and pride throughout her life.

Due to failing health, Aloma spent her last few years living at Extendicare York nursing home. Special thanks to the staff and residents of Extendicare York for the excellent care, companionship and friendship given to Aloma.

She was also deeply grateful to the clergy and parishioners of St. Peter’s United Church for their friendship and support.

Aloma supported the initiatives of NEO Kids Foundation and we are grateful for her generous donation to our NEO Kids receiving care at Health Sciences North.