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DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
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Report #074-2007  May 17, 2007 Thursday
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"To effect real change, you have to get involved and stand up for what you believe in." - Theresamary Johnson 1936 - 2007
 
Older Women's League of California
* THERESAMARY JOHNSON, PRESIDENT PASSES AWAY AGE 70
* FRIENDS & FAMILY SHOCKED AT UNEXPECTED DEATH 5/12
* ADVOCATES STATEWIDE MOURN LOSS OF RESPECTED LEADER
* MEMORIAL SERVICE MAY 18TH FRIDAY IN SACRAMENTO\
SACRAMENTO -  Theresamary Johnson [pictured below], president of the Older Women's League of California and a much respected advocate on a wide range of health and human services issues, died unexpectedly on Saturday, May 12th, at the age of 70 years old.  According to her daughter, Jeanette Schermann, Johnson died of an aortic aneurysm. 
 
 Photo of OWL of CA President Theresamary Johnson, died at age 70 on May 12, 2007Advocates crossing senior, disability, mental health and other issues mourned her passing, expressing shock, dismay and recalling what her work meant to millions of Californians and across the nation as head of the widely respected Older Women's League, but also a past national board member of the organization.


Transformation from Struggling Widow To Widely Respected National and State Leader
Her story is one of tremendous transformation from a struggling widow  to a leading respected national and state advocate. Family members told the Sacramento Bee that the loss of two husbands left her to raise a family on $281 in monthly Social Security income, and that gave her a direct experience on how public policy directly affects people's lives.
 
"Once she found her voice, there was no stopping her," daughter Jeannette Schermann told the Sacramento Bee.
 
Family and friends told the Sacramento Bee that Johnson dismissed stereotypes of older women as "frail and dependent" and that she could be often seen wearing a lapel button with the message "Aging to Perfection." Johnson's advocacy inspired her own mother and daughters to join the Older Women's League and encouraged her grandchildren to be politically aware.
"My little sisters grew up stuffing envelopes," Schermann told the Bee, "She always told us, 'To effect real change, you have to get involved and stand up for what you believe in.' "
For more information about the Older Women's League go to their national website at:   http://www.owl-national.org/index.htm

 

Advocates Remember Friend and Leader
Linda Roberts, a member of the Older Women's League in the Sacramento area and a longtime senior, disability and healthcare advocate, said that Johnson was a "...tireless worker for older women and single payer health care.  On Thursday [May 10], the Older Women's League  held its annual Mothers' Day lobby day for health care.  She lead that meeting with fire and spirit.  We are...in shock to lose her."

Betty Perry, the Older Women's League of California public policy director mourned Johnson's passing and told the Sacramento Bee that she"...was very dedicated to working on issues. People really respected her."

 
"She went through a lot,"  Ruth Kletzing, past president of the Older Women's League told the Sacramento, "She was a wonderful example of what the Older Women's League is all about."
Other organizations ranging from Californians for Disability Rights to California Disability Community Action Network to Congress of California Seniors, Gray Panthers, mental health advocates, state and local government officials and others expressed sadness on hearing the news and paid tribute to Johnson's advocacy work.  CDCAN's May 24th Townhall Telemeeting, focusing on In-Home Supportive Services - a big issue for seniors and people with disabilities and a program strongly supported by the Older Women's League of California, will be dedicated in Johnson's memory.  Go to the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us for more information. 

Memorial Service Friday May 18th - Visitation May 17th in Sacramento
Visitation is scheduled for today, May 17th, between 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with a memorial service set for May 18th, Friday at 1:00 PM - both in Sacramento. 

Visitation
May 17, 2007 Thursday  5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
North Sacramento Funeral Home
725 El Camino Ave.
Sacramento, CA

Celebration of Life
May 18, 2007 Friday 1:00 PM
North Sacramento United Methodist Church
 650 El Camino Ave.
Sacramento, CA

Remembrances
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Mrs. Johnson:
Older Women's League of California
1230 N St., Suite 201
Sacramento, CA 95814
or
North Sacramento United Methodist Church
650 El Camino Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95815.

Family Says Johnson Was "Inspired" By Founders of Older Womens League to Become An Advocate
Johnson's family told the Sacramento Bee that their mother was struggling as a widow with children in 1980 when she became inspired while hearing speeches by founders of the Older Women's League. She became a charter member of the grass-roots advocacy group, which seeks to improve the status and quality of life for midlife and older women but also promotes advocacy in other areas concerning rights of low income persons, persons with disabilities and mental health needs.
 
She was a national board member and served from 1989 to 1991 as California president before returning this past year to head the organization. 
 
The Older Women's League says it is the only "national grassroots membership organization that focuses exclusively on issues unique to women as they age." The Older Women's League is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that accomplishes its work through research, education, and advocacy activities conducted through a nationwide chapter network. It says that through its efforts to improve the status and quality of life for midlife and older women, the Older Women's League "... provides a strong and effective voice for the more than 60 million women age 40 and over in America".  For more information about the organization, including chapters across the country (including California) or information on how to join to continue the work of Johnson, visit their website (national) at http://www.owl-national.org/index.htm

 

Fought Hard For Health Care for Everyone
Friends noted the irony of Johnson's passing this year with health care reform for the first time on the frontburner for both the Governor and Legislature - an issue she focused on as an advocate, especially for older women who were not employed or receiving any healthcare.
 
Her advocacy also included pushing for making federal and state programs more effective,  including Medicare and Medicaid, and protecting Social Security from reductions and efforts to privatize the system. She also fought against all forms of discrimination, including age discrimination in the area of employment. 
Johnson had been a strong advocate for reforms in health facilities, especially nursing homes 
 
Family and friends recalled to the Sacramento Bee how her advocacy was noted by state and national leaders, with Gov. Pete Wilson inviting her in 1987 to the signing of a law earmarking tobacco taxes for breast cancer research, and an invitatition by the Clinton Administration to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.
 

Johnson A Proud Parent, Grandmother and Great-grandmother

Johnson was a proud parent of Michael Schermann of Leadville, CO, Gilbert Schermann of Greeley, CO, Teri Goodall of Rail Road Flat, CA,  Marjorie Schermann of San Francisco, CA,Robert Schermann of Rio Linda, CA , Diane Schermann of Eau Claire, WI, Jeanette Schermann of Chippewa Falls, WI, Julie Willis of Antelope, CA, Judy Allard of Holcombe, WI, Danny Johnson of Superior, Wis., and Mickey Johnson of Lincoln, NE.; and was grandmother to 23 grandchildren; and a great-grandmother to eight great-grandchildren

Born in 1936 and Raised in Detroit

[excerpted from the obituary in the Sacramento Bee by Robert D. Dávila - copy of full obituary available on CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us]
Born July 26, 1936,Theresamary Clifford was born in 1936 and raised in a well-to-do family in Detroit, where her maternal and paternal grandparents both owned plumbing businesses. She developed asthma as a child and suffered lifelong breathing problems.

In 1954, she graduated from high school, married Gilbert B. Schermann Sr. and gave birth to their first child. They lived in Michigan and Wisconsin, and she was a 28-year-old mother of seven when her husband suffered a brain hemorrhage that left him disabled in a state hospital. The couple eventually divorced.

In 1968, she married Albert Thomas Johnson, a father of three, and moved to Rio Linda. The couple had twins, who were 7 months old when their father died of complications from a brain injury in 1971. The loss jolted Mrs. Johnson, a widow with no job experience and nine children to support at home.

"It must have been overwhelming," [daughter Jeannette] Schermann said. "She worked evenings as a waitress at Del Paso Country Club. She was very determined."
She went to school and earned an associate's degree at American River College in 1977 and worked as a registered respiratory therapist at American River Hospital for 25 years. She earned bachelor's degrees in community health education and women's studies from California State University, Sacramento, in 1984.

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MANY THANKS to Manteca CAPS, Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, Parents Helping Parents, Arriba, Strategies To Empower People, Parents Helping Parents, Asian American parents groups, Resources for Independent Living and many other Independent Living Centers, several regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other self advocacy and family support groups, developmental center families, and hundreds of individuals.