MaryAnn St. Clair

MaryAnn was born on July 5, 1944 in Chicago, the same day as her Mother, Mary.  She joined her parents, Charlton and Mary, her sister Joan and brother Barry. The Johnsons had moved to Chicago from Northern California during World War II.

A few years after living in Chicago, they moved back to California, living in the Sunset District in San Francisco (38th Avenue). In 1948 MaryAnn’s brother Jim was born. Jim couldn’t pronounce MaryAnn’s name, so he called her “Nan.”   This is the origin of MaryAnn’s familiar nickname.  In the early 1950’s the Johnson family moved from San Francisco to Burlingame to a big house on Carmelita Avenue. Nan attended Our Lady of Angeles Catholic School.  The neighborhood in Burlingame was a wonderful place to grow up with many friends. Nan also enjoyed her ballet lessons in San Francisco.

In 1954, her sister Martha was born, and brother Michael was born in 1956.  Nan loved to help Mary with her younger brother and sister. Nan also looked up to her older sister Joan, then, and throughout her entire life.

In 1958, the family moved to Southern California and San Marino on Lorraine Road.  Nan started school at Ramona Convent High School, the same school her Mom attended.  In 1961, three years after moving to Southern California, The Johnsons moved back to the Bay Area, this time, to Virginia Avenue in San Mateo. Nan stayed in Southern California, her junior and senior years at Ramona Convent High School.

During Nan’s last two years of high school, she met Wally St. Clair.  Wally was a football star at San Gabriel High School.  Nan finished High School and returned to the family home in San Mateo and went to San Francisco State.  Nan would take her younger siblings quite frequently to Half Moon Bay for walks on the beach.  Wally would fly PSA to San Francisco to visit often.  In 1966, Nan graduated from San Francisco State with a degree in English and in June of that year, she and Wally were married.

In 1967, Wally and MaryAnn had their first son Bill and in 1968, their second son David was born.  They lived on Avenue E in Redondo Beach.  They really enjoyed Redondo Beach with endless outings to the beach and around town. The St Clair family moved to Simi Valley in 1971 and then to Cerritos in 1974.  Nan was a wonderful Mom managing the household and her two sometimes unruly sons. She loved her family and her boys.  Nan also had a passion for helping others.  She took a part-time job at Elliott Elementary where she served as an aide in the special education department.  She loved those children like her own and made many special friendships. 

In 1979, Wally was offered the opportunity to manage a JC Penney store in Honolulu, Hawaii.  This was a wonderful adventure. They lived on the island of Oahu in a suburb of Honolulu, Hawaii Kai.   The boys went to Kamiloiki Elementary School. To say that there was a bit of culture shock was an understatement. But Nan was always there to help with the adjustment. The St Clair family had a fantastic time exploring much of Oahu as well as the other Hawaiian Islands in the year and a half that they were there.  While in Hawaii, MaryAnn worked at the Bishop Museum as a docent. She loved the Arts and enjoyed learning about ancient Hawaiian history and culture.  Nan always had fond memories of their time in Hawaii.

The St Clairs then moved back to the mainland and settled in Fullerton.  They were fortunate to find a beautiful home on Meadow Lane that MaryAnn lived in for over 25 years.  She loved her backyard and enjoyed swimming in the pool and gardening her many flowers and plants.  Evenings and weekends were spent at various sporting events, watching her sons play.  Lots of lifelong friendships were made in Fullerton including her friendship with Diane Shirota. Nan and Diane loved to spend time together and saw each other on a regular basis until MaryAnn's death. 

Christopher was born in 1983. He was a wonderful addition to the family and MaryAnn was excited to be a mother again.  MaryAnn and Christopher did everything together, they made the perfect team.  Days would be spent reading books, newspapers, magazines, and watching television, with endless games of Monopoly and hourlong swim breaks between turns.  She particularly loved watching Laker games, with her screams of excitement with every basket echoing throughout the house.  With Bill and David away in college, MaryAnn and Chris went on many adventures together.  One of the most memorable adventures was their trip to see each California mission.  They traveled from San Diego to San Francisco and saw them all. 

While in Fullerton, MaryAnn worked at Fullerton High School, again serving as an aide for the special education department.  Eventually MaryAnn settled into a full-time position at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. She worked at the Bowers Museum for over 20 years, working in visitor services and the tour department, often being called the "face of the museum.”  She made many good friends at the museum, a group of which would take trips together throughout California, particularly loving weekend trips to Solvang.  She loved the world class exhibits at the museum and everyone at the museum loved MaryAnn. 

Living in Orange County also allowed Nan to visit Laguna Beach on a regular basis.  Nan loved all beaches, but Laguna Beach was definitely her favorite.  As a child the Johnsons spent many summers in Laguna visiting Nan's grandparents.  Her favorite spot was Diver's Cove.  In MaryAnn's later years she would enjoy trips to Laguna with her sons.  Breakfast at the Cottage (now Urth Cafe) and a walk along the grass that overlooked the beach was the norm.  The day would usually end with a long look at Diver's Cove and conversations about the many memories she had there. 

In 2015 MaryAnn finally moved out of her house in Fullerton to the Emerald Isle apartments in Placentia.  The place looked like a resort and Nan quickly felt at home.  She attended many classes and activities on a daily basis, including bible study, book clubs, and water aerobics.  Nan enjoyed her quiet days by the pool with a good book.  She was an avid reader, often reading entire books in a single day.

In 2018 the beginning stages of Alzheimer's began to set in and Nan's sons decided that she needed some extra assistance.  The last year and a half of her life was spent at a residential facility in Yorba Linda.  There she continued to read books and make new friends.  Everyone at the house loved MaryAnn and she took it upon herself to help and care for many of them.

Throughout Nan's life she remained spiritual and connected to God.  After a strong Catholic upbringing, she instilled strong Christian beliefs in her children and their families.  Although Nan did not attend church on a regular basis, she prayed regularly and read the bible.  Recently her spirituality seemed to grow possibly knowing what was to come. 

MaryAnn had a blessed life.  She loved her sons, their families and especially her grandchildren.  Most conversations in her last few months would be about Matthew, Joshua, Marissa, and Christian.  She wanted to know all about what they were doing and was so proud of what each of them had become.  Often times, Nan would sit at family gatherings watching her grandchildren with a proud gleam in her eyes.  She was so pleased of the family she had helped to create.

MaryAnn lived a wonderful life and will be deeply missed.