Cerritos, CA

A resident of Cerritos for 54 years, Johanna spent her early childhood in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before her family relocated to Southern California in the early 1950s.

Here, she met and married her high school sweetheart, beginning a loving marriage that spanned 65 years.

A dynamic and brilliant patient advocate, Johanna dedicated her career to nursing and healthcare leadership as an RN, BA, double MS Administrator of Case Management, Discharge Planning, and Social Services at multiple Tenet hospitals in LA and Orange County before retiring from Kaiser Permanente.

In retirement, Johanna continued to serve others for nearly 20 years as a devoted Peer Volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association. On their ALZConnected® website, she is known as “Jo C”, where she provided support, counsel, and encouragement to hundreds of individuals affected by the disease. She poured her heart and soul into helping others, and her impact there was profound.

Johanna was a masterful conversationalist known for her quick wit, whimsical humor, fierce intellect, and boundless love. She never knew a stranger.

Johanna passed peacefully at her home with her family by her side. She is survived by her beloved husband, four children, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and her brother. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Visitation will be held from 5-7pm on July 11 at Forest Lawn, Cypress, California, Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, Johanna requested that memorial donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) in honor of “Johanna ‘Jo C’ Richardson”.