Martha Diane (Dee Dee) Johnston Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Our Mother...Diane, Martha, DeeDee, Baba D, Mom Born 1942 in Miami Florida Brothers...Mitch, Bob, Jimmy Sister...Jan Like all of the names for our mother she had a big life. Young love, four children, two businesses, five grandchildren (hence all of her names). One thing is certain she was adored by everyone she touched. Mom’s Story She didn’t come from much. At a very young age she had the burden of caring for her sickly parents and three siblings. She met our father at the age of sixteen. They had a rather short courtship and married at age 18. Baby girl #1 came along. Dad enlisted in the Navy shortly after they married so as to secure entry into college. They moved to Norfolk VA and Dad was shipped overseas. He was gone for almost a year. I would imagine this was definitely a hardship on both parents. Eventually they moved back to Miami and along came baby girl #2. Mom became a dedicated homemaker. She learned how to sew and made most of our clothing, Halloween costumes, curtains etc. Dad was accepted into FSU and decided on a degree in accounting. We moved to Tally and lived in a village off campus with other families. Then came baby #3. When Dad graduated, we moved back to Miami to be closer to family. Mom’s immediate family situation was grim. Her sister had a baby girl. She was not a stable parent and needed help. And along came baby girl #4...she was adopted. We had a houseful as Mom's youngest brother, Jimmy, needed a home too so they took him in. I remember Mom tried hard to make her brother comfortable by decorating his room (formerly mine) painting it black with glow in the dark accents. She was so loving and kindhearted. With inspiration for Julia Child’s cookbooks, she expanded her talents. Dad wasn’t happy with his job at Arthur Anderson long hours and intense amounts of work. He applied to a few companies in Tally and was offered a job. We moved back to Tallahassee and Jimmy remained in Miami. I’m sure this was a very tough situation for Mom. We moved into a newly constructed two-story house with 4 bedrooms and big front and back yards. With fresh canvases, Mom began transforming our house into a showplace. She painted a huge mural on the living room wall and decorated our bedrooms expertly. We were so proud! She worked tirelessly in the yard laying sod and actually enjoyed it (us not so much)! There were adult-only dinner parties where she would start cooking days before the party. We kids would spy on the adults and pray there was enough dessert leftover. We all have fond memories of the themed birthday parties and the homemade pizza was a hit with all our friends. She loved camping at the beach. Running became her passion. They had the opportunity to become the owners of Phidippides which was an athletic store in the bottom of Northwood Mall. There they met and made fast friends with the customers. She signed up to run her first marathon and made the Tally Democrat sports page as she was the last runner to finish! Eventually, the business proved to be too much for their marriage. Northwood Mall was negatively impacted after the opening of two other malls. They sold the business and the house and decided to part ways, however, they remained friends. Mom dreamt of opening a restaurant and being a self-taught chef, she knew she could do it. The opportunity to take over an established sandwich shop became available. Not having restaurant experience, they brought her in and trained her. Her dream had come true. She worked long hours arriving at the crack of dawn. She expanded the menu by adding sophisticated items like the Salad Niçoise, the Greek and delicious made-from-scratch soup for each day. We all worked by her side for years at different times. It seemed everything she touched turned to gold. Her success resulted in three Hopkins restaurants! Later in life, she turned to painting beautiful canvases. Framing them in the finest museum-quality frames and giving them to us as presents. There are more than a few people that have artwork that she gifted to them. This gave her much joy. Diane, Martha, DeeDee, Baba D, Mom...you meant so much to us and we will miss you dearly. Luckily, the restaurants are booming and your presence is there as it is in the paintings we have from your hands. Love you to the moon and back. I’d like to pay tribute to my sisters, Jennifer and Debbie, for taking Mom into your homes and caring for her in difficult times. I’m so grateful to you both. Thank you Linda @ L&L for the last four years our mother was in your care. Thank you for the caring, sweet beautiful nurses who took loving care of our beloved Mother-Baba D. You all are angels and shine bright as stars. Sorry this is so long. It was something I had to do. Dementia sucks! Valerie

Tributes

Martha Diane (Dee Dee) Johnston

January 6, 1942 - July 10, 2022