Remembrances of
Herman Frithjof Johnson
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A Special Place in Our Hearts

Ginny Lukas
(Clarendon Hills, IL)
GinLukas@earthlink.net

Herman was special to me as he was to the entire folkdance community. He was always glad to see you and made you feel like a cherished friend. He enjoyed conversations, and, when his hearing failed, he connected by giving you his take on a history tome he happened to be reading at the time. Sadly, we saw Herman eyesight and hearing and mobility fail, but these weaknesses of the body served to put his character in sharper relief as a model for the rest of us. Herman never focused on himself or his difficulties; he always wanted to talk about ideas, about current issues, about the concerns of others. His outlook on life remained positive, his spirit upbeat, until the end.

His kindness and warmth and love of people were so beautifully demonstrated in the shelter he built with his own hands and then shared with so many of us. We will never forget the wonderful parties at “The Barn.” Everything about the party was special: from the hand-written invitations to the lovingly prepared and presented dishes from many lands (topped off by his famous fudge treats), to the carefully planned after-dinner programs, to the specially-built-for-dancing wooden floor. And it was obvious that Herman took great delight in making it all happen.

Herman will be greatly missed. We all benefited from his generous, long-time leadership in the folkdance community. We all enjoyed ourselves at the parties he threw. But I believe we were most deeply affected by Herman’s generosity, kindness and loving spirit evidenced to each and every one of us fortunate enough to have known him.

Herman, you will always have a special place in our hearts.

Ginny Lukas
(Clarendon Hills, IL)
GinLukas@earthlink.net


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