Obituary

VICTORIA LOUISE JOHNSON
JANUARY 23, 1948 --MAY 5, 2008
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA -
Following a life filled with leadership, love and laughter, Victoria Louise Johnson, 60, peacefully passed away on May 5, 2008, with her husband by her side. Victoria, or Vickey as she was affectionately known, was born in Oakland, California, and eventually settled with her family in South Pasadena, CA. in 1965. It was there that she met and married her husband, David, and they raised their family before moving to Northern California in 1996. Receiving her B.A. and an M.S. in Library Science from the School of Library and Information Management at the University of Southern California, Vickey began her library career at the South Pasadena Public Library. She rose to the position of acting Library Director at Pasadena Public Library, became the Director of Sunnyvale Library, and retired from her library career as the Director of Library Services for the County of San Mateo, California. Vickey's distinguished career as a public servant was punctuated by her leadership positions with the American Library Association, the California Library Association, Peninsula Library Services and her position on the Board of Trustees of OCLC, the Ohio-based library services nonprofit organization. Vickey sought fairness wherever she went, had an impressive work ethic, and was always a bright spirit.

While in her daily life she was surrounded by stories found in books,the best story of all was found in the life she lived: her courage, her class, her great taste and her example in embracing life. Vickey is survived by her loving husband of 38 years, David Raymond Johnson of Menlo Park and Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA; her sons, Benjamin Tor (Jennifer) Johnson of La Mesa, CA; Erik Odin (Angela Briceno) Johnson of South Pasadena, CA; her mother, Louise Benson Ball of Pasadena, CA; her sister, Margaret Dickey (Larry) Richardson of West Barnstable, MA; and her grandchildren, Elijah, Olivia, and Kayla. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula, Saturday, May 31st at 11:00 a.m. Vickey's ashes will be scattered at Carmel Beach after the ceremony. Vickey's family would like to offer their sincerest appreciation to all of the physicians, nurses and other caregivers at the Stanford Medical Center, who provided loving and encouraging care for her over the past 12 years.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Victoria Johnson Memorial Children's Book Fund. Checks may be mailed to:
Silicon Valley Community Foundation Grants and Gifts Administration, 2440 W. El Camino Real, Suite 300, Mountain View, CA 94040 (Please list The V. Johnson Memorial Fund in the check memo. Individual tax receipts will be issued for gifts.)