Mary Elizabeth Johnson

For the last 25 years she lived on Catalina Island where she worked for the Catalina Island Company until her retirement in the fall of 2019. That year she moved to the mainland, Huntington Beach, to be closer to her family and doctors.

At the Catalina Island Conservancy, she worked both at the ticket booth in Wrigley gardens and in the permit department for all permits issued on the island.

She was an avid amateur radio operator and volunteered for the Community Emergency Response Team in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department where she became a certified CERT member. She annually volunteered over 100 hours of service to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Avalon Station. She was a licensed nurse’s assistant and a member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross. She felt most empowered when she helped others.

She loved to explore the island wilderness and was a semi-expert on the local wildlife. Many of them invaded her garden.

While on the Island she made many friends including a checky Catalina Island fox who adopted her and slept on her back porch. The local feral cat population knew her well and several of their members adopted her. Two of them, Tom (a large black tabby) and “B” his smaller daughter (a sweet solid black tabby) lived with her and “Fred” a 21-year-old cockatiel.

In the last four years of her life, she fought stage four colon cancer. It spread throughout her body the 2nd year and she fought hard to overcome it. After all the chemo and radiation treatments were exhausted, she still fought to overcome it until the last day of her life. Her strength and courage are a source of pride with her family and friends who will miss her easy laughter and bright smile.

She will lay with her Grandmother Mary Ann Harrison at Olive Lawn Memorial Cemetery in La Mirada California, but she will live forever in our hearts.

May God bless her and keep her safe.

Liz requested that donations be given to the local chapter of the ASPCA instead of sending flowers or gifts.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.peekfuneralhome.com for the Johnson family.