LaDonna R. Johnson

She grew up in Ralston going through grade, junior and senior high school there. She graduated in 1961. LaDonna played 1st chair clarinet in the high school band and was an accompanist for almost all of the musical groups at RHS. In 1965, LaDonna graduated from Omaha University, receiving a BS in Elementary Education with a minor in music. She received a Regents Scholarship. LaDonna was a member of Phi Kappa Phi (corresponds to Phi Beta Kappa) National Scholastic Honorary; Alpha Lambda Delta, Freshman Women’s Honorary; and Kappa Delta Pi, Education Honorary. She belonged to the Student Education Society and Home Economics Club and was on the Dean’s Honor Roll for four years. She held offices in Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Pi.

LaDonna’s mother began teaching her to play the piano and organ when she was 3 1/2. She studied piano and organ for over 15 years. As a child, LaDonna performed in several local radio and television talent shows winning medals and a pair of cowboy boots!

Her career as a private piano and organ teacher began in 1961, and lasted 55 years. She fondly called pupils “her kids! “ In recent years LaDonna and her students presented Christmas and patriotic programs at the Frank & Velma Johnson Archives Museum and at nursing homes. LaDonna played the piano at the historic Portal School for Papillion’s “Winter Wonderland” celebration and the pump organ at the 1867 German Sautter Farmhouse. She enjoyed teaching 4th graders about the pump organ for Pioneer Days at the farmhouse. LaDonna became an Honorary Member of the Papillion Area Historical Society in 2012.

LaDonna played at over 60 different churches, mortuaries and schools. At age 7, she was pianist for the Ralston Community Church Sunday School. At age 10 she began playing a pump organ at Trinity Evangelical United Bretheran Church and taught songs to the 1st and 2nd graders in Sunday School there for over 10 years. She has been a confirmed member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Ralston over 50 years. For 30 years she was the main organist at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Papillion. She accompanied a large adult choir who performed many cantatas and even a concert accompanied by ten members of the Omaha Symphony with LaDonna playing the harpsichord. LaDonna served as organist at the Ralston United Church of Christ for 21 years. She played for countless weddings and funerals. She was pianist for Ralston’s 75th and 90th year pageants and organist for Ralston’s 100th year Community Church Service, World Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving services.

LaDonna enjoyed being a 4-H member and led a 4-H cooking club one year. She was the 4-H secretary at the Douglas County Extension Office for 8 years. She then took a part time job as an advertising and insurance secretary at Merker Realty Co. for 9 years.

LaDonna enjoyed traveling. She visited 16 European countries, the Orient, Mexico, Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific as well as Caribbean islands plus all 50 United States. Her hobby was taking photographs and labeling each one in scrapbooks.

The Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce named LaDonna the 2012 Citizen of the Year. She served as Ralston’s July 4th Parade Marshal in 2013.

LaDonna was preceded in death by parents, Frank & Velma Johnson, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Survivors include her brother Le Moyne Johnson and his wife Darlene of Bradenton, Florida, niece Melanie Johnson and her husband Chris and their daughter Kaylee of Summerfield, North Carolina, special first cousin Marlene Graham and her family of Papillion, Nebraska and second cousin Wally Hughes and family of Moundville, Missouri, many cousins, friends and pupils.

Funeral Services will be Tuesday August 9th at 11:00 am at Ralston United Church of Christ. Graveside Services Tuesday August 9th at 4:00 pm Shickley Cemetery, Shickley, NE. Visitation Monday August 8th at Kahler-Dolce Mortuary from 6-8 pm. Memorials to Frank & Velma Johnson Ralston Archives Museum or Ralston United Church of Christ.

Arrangements under the direction of Kahler Dolce Mortuary, Papillion, NE.