I first met Romanza in 1975. I had just moved to Bowling Green, and she drove up, rang the bell and introduced herself. She was with the Welcome Wagon and had come to welcome me. Then she asked me to come out to the car, where she flipped opened the trunk to reveal a tray of pies! She asked me to pick one, so the lemon meringue was the obvious choice. I said to myself, this is a woman worth knowing if she carries pies around in her trunk on a hot day! Little did I know that Romanza Johnson would become such an important person in my life!
Romanza was from Scottsville, taught Home Ec both there and at WKU, and went on to be the Home Economist at BGMU. She was married to Ralph Eugene Johnson, whom she referred to as Mr. Johnson. In between working and being a wife, she was getting involved with charities and organizations. She served on nearly every Board in town, but her two favorites were Hospice, which she helped start, and the Salvation Army. She was honored by the Salvation Army for her work with the Angel Tree program, and received the first Lotus Award from Hospice.
Ralph and Ro (as I always called her) were also involved with Tennessee Walking Horses, as I still am. They had a front row box on the 50-yard line at Celebration, which lasts 10 days. They always invited friends to share their box. They had horses, and Ralph used to show. Ro was always so proud. She always had snacks for us in their box, some homemade goodies that she had brought to Shelbyville.
I joined Junior Womens’ Club in 1980, where I really got to know Ro better. She went on to the Bowling Green Womans’ Club, and when she became the state president, I became her aide. I traveled around Kentucky with her to different club meetings, and also to national meetings. One time in Washington D.C., we were eating dinner and a woman at the next table spilled wine on her blouse. Immediately, Ro was on her feet asking for club soda from the waiter and saving the day – and the blouse! Another time we were in New York, and about 11pm she said, “Let’s go next door for a snack.” Always game for a snack, I agreed, and we started out the front door, only to be stopped by the doorman, who said it wasn’t safe for us, so he would walk us over. We called him to come escort us back, but on the way, a man opened his trench coat in front of us. Ro told the doorman to wait a moment, while we bought faux Rolex watches from inside the trench coat!
Romanza was everyone’s idea of a wonderful volunteer, but I’ll remember her as a fun friend with a great sense of humor. I’ll miss her always.
-by Meredith Thessen
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