Yolanda A. Johnson

As a young girl, Yolanda was the fourth of eleven children. She helped her family where needed often caring for the seven younger children while her parents, older brothers and sister provided for the family. After completing the 6th grade, her education was put on hold when she, too, worked to help the family. At the age of 15, Yolanda was able to use the deed to the family's property, fill out applications for the bank and secure approval to have a house built for her family. In 1969, she attended St. Phillips College and received her GED and certificate as a Nurse’s Aide.

In the 1950s, Yolanda was supervising the soda fountain (lunch counter) of FW Woolworth in downtown San Antonio when Leroy Johnson was assigned to Ft Sam Houston Army Base. They would often speak on the phone and then fell in love. He would walk from the post to meet her at work, get her home to San Fernando St. and walk all the way back to the post. When he asked for the blessing to marry their daughter, he gave the ring to his future father-in-law for a year to prove he was serious. This earned the everlasting love and respect of Viviana and Abel Ledesma. They married in May of 1956 and renewed their vows after 50 years in 2006.

Yolanda once recalled not having a grandmother herself and hoped to be the fun grandma she wished she could have had. When the first grandchild was born Yolanda would say to Sarah, "I waited 50 years for you!" Then came Kris and Randall and she took all three of them to have a portrait done which she hung with pride in her living room. Yolanda's heart filled with love as she welcomed Ashleigh, Kenneth, Leroy III, Sean, Amber, Chaney, Lauren, Cammie, Cassie, Joshua, Lyndsey, and finally Amy, who completed her family. All her grandbabies would fill her house with joy and laughter and Yolanda was in her element. She would eagerly wait for Sean, Lauren, Joshua, and Lyndsey to come visit. They would go to the park, zoo, watercolor and have fun during their entire stay. There would be sleepovers with all the grandkids on every sofa, chair and across the floor. If you made too much noise you may have gotten, "Cara de papa," from Grandma, which would only make you laugh. Leroy loved when Grandma made Midnight Pancakes. Kenneth loved staying with Grandma in the mornings when she would put on Sesame Street, then lie on the floor and watch it with him. Kris had his biggest fans in the stands as Grandma and Papo cheered him on in all his sports. Randy recalls Grandma always having spearmint gum and she would sit in the backseat to share with him...but only half a stick. He still smiles when he sees that gum in the store. As a very small boy who didn’t want to go to bed, Randy would run and get under Grandma’s blankets where she would “hide” him from his parents. The times Chaney, Cammie, and Cassie would visit from out-of-state, Grandma would ask if they wanted papitas then pull out her cast iron skillet and make a mound of the best homemade fries. Sarah, Ashleigh, Amber and Lauren traveled individually with Grandma to the Basilica in Monterrey. Whenever Yolanda had Las Posadas at her house the grandkids played a role. Randy, Leroy, Kris, Kenny, and Sean played Joseph and Sarah, Ashleigh, Amber, Lauren, and Chaney played Mary. They sometimes dressed as shepherds and villagers. You wore the outfit handed to you. Yolanda was proud of all her grandchildren.

As time went on, Yolanda spent time with friends and family. She and Leroy enjoyed traveling to Vera Cruz, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Puebla, Guanajuato, Puerto Vallarta, Real de Catorce, Guadalajara, and Monterrey where she made an annual pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. They also traveled to Spokane, Washington, Washington, DC., and Las Vegas.

Yolanda and Leroy shared a love so deep that through the years they would dance around the house to songs like “Close to You” by The Carpenters and “That's Amore” by Dean Martin and she would sing with passion. Even as Yolanda's memory faded of loved ones around her, Leroy was the one who remained in her memory. She would often call out to Leroy by name as he walked by and say, "I love you." When her speech left her, he would tell her the same. Then her face would beam with tenderness and understanding.

Yolanda worked as a Nurse’s Aide then a Ward Clerk at Baptist Memorial Hospital. She served as a PTA member at Winston Elementary. As President of the Committee for Environmental Justice Action, Yolanda was dedicated to helping her community resolve the problems with environmental contamination. Yolanda and Leroy were successful at having storage tanks of toxic chemicals that were leaking and contaminating the environment removed from the area around Growden Road. Yolanda was instrumental in filing and winning a lawsuit against the government for neighbors of North Kelly Gardens by Kelly AFB. This case also set precedence for the Kelly Restoration Advisory Board and other RABs. While involved with CEJA, Yolanda traveled to San Francisco with other environmental activists. There she was able to meet and have lunch with Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, who was also interested in resolving environmental contamination. Her work as an activist has been used in studies at colleges and universities.

As a member of St John Berchmans Catholic Church she was a Guadalupana. Yolanda helped raise money for many projects and organizations and supported fellow parishioners through prayer and attending rosaries for loved ones who had passed. She also did the Lord's work by ministering to prisoners, celebrating Christmas at the home to teenage mothers and their children, and serving as a Eucharistic Minister.

Yolanda will be remembered for her sense of humor, love, and generosity. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Leroy Johnson, children Fred (Rahnae) Johnson, Vivian (Cruz) Solis, Leroy Johnson, Jr., David (Melanie) Johnson, Susan (Harold) Brown,

15 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, siblings Rodolfo (Rebecca) Ledesma, David Ledesma, Genevieve Spessard, Eva Napier and Teresa Collins.

With love, the family is grateful to Cassie Brown taking time out from her studies to fly from Ohio to care for her grandma in her final days...and to Leroy III for spending endless hours through the years caring for Grandma and Papo.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org/sanantonio or St John Berchmans Church, 1147 Cupples Rd, San Antonio, Tx 78226.

"When we die, we die into the arms of God and surely we're received with as much love, gentleness and tenderness as we were received in the arms of our mothers at birth. Moreover, surely we are even safer there than we were when we were born here on earth."