Southern
Accent lost one of our charter members in December 2006, and our hearts
have been heavy ever since. Donnie Johnston was a bright, shining light,
and always a fun Sweet Adeline to be around. She made sure things ran
smoothly by writing scripts, bringing food for gatherings, and getting us gigs,
like the local morning television show to market our cookbooks. Donnie was
the team leader in putting the cookbooks together. She was able to get
Miss Louisiana to preside at our Charter Installation Ceremony in 2006. She was
one rare Sweet Adeline.
We want to
memorialize Donnie here, not because we want to make anyone sad, but because Sweet
Adelines was such a large part of Donnie's life. She was at every
rehearsal, even after her long days of teaching school. Her husband and
children knew that whenever there was a Sweet Adelines function, Donnie would be
there. She was active in her church, school, family, and had so many daily
activities. We loved her so very much.
Donnie's beautiful
bass voice was the anchor that held this chorus together and on pitch for so
long. On that tragic December night the chorus had just finished singing Christmas
Carols at a local nursing home, and some members were crossing the road to get in
their vehicles to
go to the next caroling stop. A driver going too fast struck another
chorus member, seriously injuring her, and then ran into Donnie, fatally injuring
her. That horrible night at the hospital praying for a miracle, numb shock
setting deeply into our souls, we could not comprehend what had just
happened.
Sweet Adelines
functions are always, always filled with travel, roadways, walkways, risers,
stages, and platforms. Sweet Adeline functions bring joy, happiness,
elation, and get those endorphins flowing freely. We
would hope that all Sweet Adelines everywhere in the world will stop and
think--right now--and we want each of you to know about Donnie's life as
well as her death. As she lived, she would want her life to touch others
in a meaningful way.
Please, please,
please be careful out there, sisters-in-song. Watch out for those
thoughtless drivers, those uneven sidewalks, those wobbly risers, and those
dangers lurking all around us. When
crossing a street, always be on the lookout for speeders, and always walk
against traffic, if you ever have to walk on a roadway. Take all
precautions, and then be sure to always watch out for one another, when
returning to your cars after dark, or in unfamiliar territory.
Time never erases
love. Time eases the depth of pain, but it will never give us back
Donnie's beautiful voice or spirit. Our Sweet Adeline singing at Christmas-time
will never be the same. Our performance songs at Competition were sung
especially to honor Donnie. We know she'd be proud!
As Helen Keller
said:
The best and
most beautiful things in the world cannot
be seen or even heard. They must be felt with the heart.
Now, Donnie lives in
our hearts, our memories, and our photographs. We invite you to share
photos you may have of our Donnie with us. She will live on here
....More photos of Donnie>>
