Elizabeth B. Johnston

A Celebration of the Life of Bo Johnston will be held at Saint Paul?s Episcopal Church in St. Joseph, Michigan Tuesday October 1, 2002 at 11:00a.m. A visitation will occur Monday evening September 30, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home 2650 Niles Road St. Joseph. Memorials may be made to Saint Paul?s Episcopal Church. Bo Johnston, a longtime resident of Saint Joseph, was born Elizabeth Bulleit February 17,1917 in Corydon Indiana, a small town in southern Indiana. As a child her older sister Henrietta was the only person who could understand what she was saying. When asked her name Elizabeth always replied ?Lilly Bobo.? She was known as Bo from then on. When she entered kindergarten within two weeks her speech miraculously became intelligible to enjoy the friendship of the other children. Bo always had a facility for making other people enjoy her presence. Bo idolized her older brother Bill who took her on a trip to Yellowstone Park after she graduated from high school. At the age of 28 Bill was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia and died within a month. It was a life changing experience for Bo. Afterwards she said ?Material things are not important, friends and family are the only things which hold meaning in this world. ? Bo attended Indiana University for two years and remained friends with the sisters of her sorority house until the end of her life. After college she began working for Bell Telephone in Indianapolis. Through her job she met Bill Johnston who was being given a telephone by his family for his graduation from medical school. They fell in love and married. It was World War II, and he was inducted into the army. They moved to San Francisco where Bill worked at the Presidio Hospital. While Bill served in Europe Bo returned to Corydon where their first child Joseph was born. After the war Bill finished his residency in Indianapolis and they then moved to California where Julie, their first daughter was born. When Bill was offered a medical practice in Saint Joseph Michigan they both agreed it would be their last move. Bo immediately became an active member of Saint Paul?s Episcopal Church where she made the first of her many friends in Saint Joseph. Bo was known for the outrageous hats she wore to church. These hats mirrored her personality. Two more daughters, Ann and Catherine (Bree) were born in Saint Joseph. She was a good mother and her family came first. Bo never let the fact that her husband would often decide to stay home, stop her from enjoying getting together with their mutual friends. She enjoyed making people laugh and they returned the favor. Bo took up smoking while it was still fashionable and long before it was known to be harmful. This would result in many medical problems in later life. She tried many times to give it up, but to the sorrow of all those who cared about her, she never could completely. Bill Johnston died in 1997, the same week as Princess Diana. In 1998 she went to San Francisco for the birth of her first and only grandchild. She suddenly became critically ill, was put in intensive care and expected to die. After a week of no improvement the family was about to disconnect her from life support according to her wishes, but one daughter did not want to give up. She was revived enough to nod yes or no to questions and at first she seemed to want to have the end come quickly, but then she changed her mind. Immediately she began to recover to the amazement of everyone. Her desire to be with her friends once again in Saint Joseph gave her the motivation to get well. Bo enjoyed life and people and had the gift to make others happy. Bo never complained about her physical ailments and was determined to live life as always. In 1999 when it became too difficult to take care of her house she moved to the Whitcomb towers. It was a big change, but other of her oldest friends were there and Bo was really in her element. Bo greatly appreciated the new strong friendships she made among the residents and staff of the Whitcomb. She had been in failing health for the last year, and was hospitalized the week before her death. Although her health had taken a serious turn for the worse, she recovered enough to return to her room at the Whitcomb. The day before she died she was quite energetic, attended meals, bought presents for her grandson, spent time in the park overlooking the lake, and talked to many friends on the phone. Thursday night October 19, Bo died in her own room. It was as she would have wanted. She was 85 years old. Bo Johnston is survived by a son, Joseph Johnston of San Francisco, California; three daughters: Julia Johnston of Boca Raton Florida, Ann Johnston Storm of San Francisco California, Dr Catherine Bree Johnston of Berkeley California and a grandson Riley Lyons. Bo?s sister Henrietta Alsdorf and her brother Frederick Bulleit also survive her.