CANTON
– Walking into Lucia Johnson’s apartment in the Assisted Living wing of United
Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Canton, one can’t help but to notice
the unique décor on her walls.
There
are funny cards and serious cards, religious cards and heartfelt cards, many
even from strangers, on display. Some of the cards contain handwritten notes,
while others just have a signature, but they all say one thing, “Happy Birthday.” 
Lucia (Catanzarite) Johnson with just a few of her cards.
Mrs.
Johnson turned 90 years old on Tuesday, April 13, an occasion highlighted by
Ellen Emery in her weekly column “Over Coffee with Ellen.” “So far I’ve
received 125 cards,” Mrs. Johnson said. “I don’t know what to do with them all,
but I have read each one.”
In
addition to birthday cards, there are a couple of other items plentiful in her
apartment… recipes and poems.
“I
worked as a field editor for Taste of Home for 10 years or so,” she said,
adding that over the years she’s had several of her own recipes published in
the magazine. “If you go online, you can find my picture and some of my recipes
there.” (see recipes at end of article)
“I’m
full-blooded Italian, so you know that means I love to cook,” she said, noting
her maiden name is Catanzarite. “Whenever we had guests or friends over I would
always make something I had never made before.”
Mrs.
Johnson even noted she’s self-taught in the kitchen. “My mother had six
children, and she never wanted us in the kitchen while she was cooking, so I
had to learn on my own,” she said. “I think I did alright.”
As
for the poetry, Mrs. Johnson published a book of her poems as a fundraiser for
the Alzheimer’s Association, raising over $500 through sales of her book.
That’s only a drop in the bucket though when considering that with three of her
daughters, Marilyn, Stephanie, and Charlene, the family has raised more than
$50,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
“That’s
something we’re very passionate about,” she said. “My husband Leon passed away
from that.”
Prior
to moving to Assisted Living just over a year ago, she lived in Massena, where
she was born and raised. “I lived there my whole life, until I came here,” she
said. “I love it here though, everyone is always so nice.”
Mrs.
Lucia said she’s not planning to go anywhere anytime soon.
“I had an Aunt who
lived to be 108,” she said. “Her mind was fine all the way to the end. We used
to love to hear her tell stories about Italy, because she grew up there.”
Mrs. Johnson also said
that history was also a popular topic of conversation with her aunt. “She
remembered when the Titanic sank and she would often tell us about that or
other major events from her lifetime,” she said.
Now Mrs. Johnson is the
one telling stories, looking back at an incredible life full of
accomplishments, and changes in the way we live that no one could have ever
imagined when she was growing up.
“One of my daughter’s
wanted to post something on Facebook as a way to thank people for all of the
cards. She asked me what to write. “I told her to say, ‘I had a wonderful 39th
birthday,’” Mrs. Johnson recalled with a laugh.
On the web:
Quick Potato Corn
Chowder - https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-potato-corn-chowder/
Zucchini Onion Pie - https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-onion-pie/
