With profound sadness, we lost our Mom soon after Dara's 2003 college graduation. What I remember most was the incredible devotion and loving daily care that Sheila provided, just as she had done with Dad.

And then, in mid 2012, when we realized how ill Sheila was, we were devastated, but all united in a single thought: to fill her remaining days with as much support, reassurance, and love that we could. The reality of losing her was overwhelming, but the concern for her comfort and ease of suffering was paramount!

She had always been there for all of us in a heartbeat! Sickness, health, joy, sorrow... Sheila was there... at your bedside in illness, driving you home from a doctor’s appointment, bringing you a bowl of warm soup, teaching a fascinating lesson, giving you incredibly generous and thoughtful gifts, dancing at your wedding, cradling your child, blowing out your birthday candles, chauffeuring you to games & practices, watching you graduate, helping you to set up your new apartment, making room for you in her home when you were between things in you life … you name it, she was there for you, with love, vigor, and gusto!

Toward the end she was courageous and upbeat, trying to follow doctors’ orders, getting through such day-to-day challenges and joys as having her car inspected, having lunch with friends, and trying to convince Dara's beloved, but not-too-picky German Shepherd, Jazz, that it wasn’t a good idea to devour several candy bars at once, especially when Jazz wasn’t going to bother removing the wrappers first!

Sheila lived out her final days with incredible strength, dignity, determination and guts. We gathered often at the end, holding her hand, telling funny stories, and reminding her always, always how very, very much we loved her, and conveying the beautiful messages that were sent by all of you, telling her that you felt the same!

My baby sister, that delightfully charming little companion that I was so blessed to have as a girl, had become a blazing rocket of a woman – Starship Sheila!

She was a loving, powerhouse of a daughter, making her parents proud throughout their lives, then lovingly and unfailingly caring for them at the end of those lives. She was the sister that I treasured more than words can say, and the one everyone would want – a loving, generous, supportive confidante, pal and role model.

She was an unusually gifted and generous educator and activist, with a keen understanding of the human mind and spirit. She was a devoted mother to her treasured Dara, giving her, throughout life, the attention, guidance and support that has stewarded Dara to becoming the beautiful, strong, intelligent, accomplished, and wickedly funny young woman that she is today.

Sheila was a Fairy Godmother of an aunt to Kelli and Kevin, and to all of us, especially the children in our family. When Ethan and Alden were little boys, she showed her magical presence, and as they grew she continured to give to them in immeasureable ways... birthday celebrations, football practices, LaCross games, Belmar summers... the list is endless. And when Alex and Julianna came along, they proved to be just more beautiful abundance in Sheila's treasure garden of wonderful children to love!

Always, always, she was that lovingly enchanting combination of fun, mischief, adventure, enlightenment, power and wonder. We miss you baby sis… we miss you beyond words!

When Dara’s brother Chris and his wife Robin became parents, Sheila was thrilled at the opportunity to become a Grandma. She adored Alex and Julianna, and was there for Christenings, birthday parties, holidays, and other fun family events. She was close to this lovely family, and on her regular weekly trips to visit with Alex and Julianna, she took along her unfailing ability to charm, engage, teach, and shower mountains of love on these two wonderful little children.

Alex loved to play with trucks, and as he got older, he became her wingman and would help Sheila navigate the local roads as she sometimes got lost, while driving them from place to place. And Julianna’s brilliant smile and impish little-girl charms completely stole Sheila’s heart.

The years preceding the turn of the 21st century brought more wonderful events for our family, with the birth of my two grandsons – Ethan in 1997, and Alden in 1999. And, of course, no one took to it with more gusto than Auntie Sheila.

She was always there with warm hugs, soothing cradling, loud cheers, and funny stories. And at all occasions the boys’ eyes popped with wonder as they watched her enter, laden with the most elaborate and imaginative gifts.

As the boys grew, off she would go, with them in tow, to parks, football practice, LaCrosse games, school recitals, and just about anything else that came up. There were summers in Belmar, where she watched over them as they surfed in the ocean, and trips to New York City to see the sights and make the traditional stop at FAO Schwartz.

The boys loved her large back yard, where they could gaze out from the high rafters of Dara’s wonderful old wooden fortress/swing-set, or play any version of their beloved sports.

Being the adventurous spirit and devoted mother that she was, Sheila continued in her adventurously intrepid way, to enjoy as much travel as possible, and on her last trip, with Dara, she did it in grand style, in Jamaica, W. I., where, she enjoyed - among her many other adventures - swimming with the dolphins!

What a quintessential shot this is, gloriously capturing Sheila’s incredible spirit, delight in the world around her and enormous capacity for joy!

Sheila was a brilliant, dynamic and popular teacher, always reaching for the new levels of knowledge, information, and inspiration that she could share with her students, and they loved her for it! Here is some of what they had to say over the years:
Fall ‘93
>…Professor Mayers-Johnson is a knowledgeable and well-prepared professional.
>…Prof Johnson has increased my knowledge about psychology and human behavior… she puts herself out to help her students.
Fall ‘92
>…I am almost persuaded to change my major from Nursing to Psych .
>…knows her stuff ... helps you to understand.
Spring '92
>…Prof. Johnson has been inspirational and I look forward to continuing the study of psychology at the next level.
>…She has a real talent in presenting the information ...excellent at motivating students...
>…She tries to explain everything in a way that we can all understand...
Fall '91
>…Very upbeat, highly motivational and always well prepared.
>…She is interesting and she makes me think ... sometimes gives me different ways to look at myself.
Spring '85
>…I think Dr. Mayers-Johnson has helped me in a number of ways that contribute to my success.
>…Always there to lend a hand when needed.
Fall '84
>…Shows an interest in students ... interested in the student as a person.
>…She has helped me tremendously in getting more out of my classes...
Spring '84
>...helps me understand things I didn't understand ... also encouraged me to continue my studies.
>...very helpful... listens to problems and is very understanding.
Spring '82
>...clear and concise in classroom instruction... always extends herself...
>…Wonderful! ...very patient ...very good listener...
Fall '82
>…Dr. Johnson gives all of herself all of the time.
>…She has made me (and I believe the whole class) become more aware of the mind and body as a whole.
Fall '84
>...in tune with what's going on in the world, and brings that knowledge to class...
>...very responsive to student needs...
Spring '81
>...She takes time to listen to each and every person.
>...very good teacher ... makes me feel very comfortable in her class.

PUBLICATIONS
-"Ritual in Support of Personal Transformation," in Rijuals Throughout the Life Cycle, Nsenga
Warfield Coppock, ed., forthcoming, Fall, 1999.
-"African Language and African Mind: A Mythic Paradigm," Medgar Eyers College Annual Conference. Collected Papers
-"African Cosmology and African Language: Some Implications for Cognition and Pedagogy,"
The Kwanza Handbook, with the Kwanza Celebrants.
-"Intuitive Synthesis in Ebonics: Implications for a Developing African Science," in African Philosophy: Assumptions & Paradigms for Research on Black Persons.
-"Counseling the Culturally Different Client: A Black-White Collaborative View," with V. F. Calia. Counseling and Values

WORKS IN PROGRESS
-"Ritual as a Healing Metaphor"
-"The Melanin Molecule: Implications for Psychology"

DEVELOPMENTAL GRANTS AND UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
-"Language Games: Computer Software for Supporting Multi-Language Facility
-"Accelerated Learning Strategies: Using SPSS/PC”
-"Language Games: An Experiment in Multi-Language Learning"
-"An Instructional Paradigm through Ebonics”
-"What I done done, now?" Workshop Series in Black Language
-"The Effects of a 'Black Cultural Positives' Program on the Self-Concepts and Attitudes of Black Junior High Students"

PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
-"Unlimited Possibilities: Avoiding Abuse in Relationships"
-"Creating Loving Relationships: Owning the Power"
-"Balancing the Curriculum for Race, Gender and Ethnicity"
-"Empowerment Through Instructional Counseling"
-"Ritual, Myth and Symbol"

AFFILIATIONS
-Trustee and Vice President: Board of Education, Westbury Unified School District
-American Personnel and Guidance Association Division of Counseling and Student Personnel
-National Association of Black Psychologists New York Association of Black Psychologists

March 19, 2002

Legislator Corbin Honors Westbury Resident
as 2002 Woman Trailblazer

Mineola, NY - In a special ceremony at the Nassau County Executive/Legislative Building in Mineola, Nassau County Deputy Presiding Officer Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) honored Dr. Sheila Mayers-Johnson as the 2002 Woman Trailblazer from the 2nd Legislative District. The "Women's: Trailblazers of the New Millennium" awards ceremony, now in its fifth year, celebrates Women's History Month by recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments and contributions of women throughout the county.

"Sheila has been a shooting star in our community for a long time, as she has compiled an accomplished career and been proactive within the community," said Legislator Corbin. "She is a true hero to our community"

Since moving to Westbury in 1986, Dr. Mayers-Johnson has had an active role in the community. She was a member of the Westbury Schools PTA and the Westbury/New Cassel Community Action Team. She also is a former member and president of the Westbury School Board.

At the same time, Sheila was continuing her outstanding commitment to community and social issues. Her commitments included:

Trustee and President: Westbury Board of Education; Co-Vice President: Powell's Lane PTA; Corresponding Secretary: Westbury PTA Council; Catechist/ Grade Level Coordinator: St. Brigid's Church; Women's History Workshop Leader: Girl Scouts of Nassau County Black History Month Speaker: Brooklyn House of Detention; Black History Month and Graduation Speaker: Grace Christian Elementary School; Black Family, Rites of Passage Workshop Leader: Brooklyn Jack and Jill; Support Committee Participant: Model School Content, Jamaica, W.I.; Black History Month Speaker: Paul Robeson High School; Parenting Workshop Leader: Paul Robeson High School

In 1998, Sheila, as Interdisciplinary Studies Department Chair, participated in the South Africa World Gender Studies Practicum, traveling to Johannesburg, along with Dara and colleagues, to lead her students in a two-week collaborative program between the Interdisciplinary Studies Department and the International Cross-Cultural Black Women’s Studies Institute.

This outstanding opportunity was designed to introduce students to issues of gender and race in an international and cross-cultural context. Students were able to investigate how women and men were pursuing freedom, justice and equality throughout the world community. Participants were able to meet activists and scholars from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. They were also able to enjoy cultural events, lecture and workshops.

What an extraordinary experience for all!

In 1981, Sheila joined the faculties of Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, and the College of New Rochelle.

At Medgar Evers College, she served as a Counselor in the Department of Special Programs and as director of the College's Honors Programs. She was Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, and co-developer of the Department's new baccalaureate degree program in World Studies. That degree program included concentrations in African World Studies, International/Cross-Cultural Studies, and World Gender and Women's Studies. The World Studies curriculum also included a course entitled, "Medgar Evers and the Civil Right Movement", the format for which included students taking a civil rights tour of the South. In connection with those activities. Sheila was also Interim Vice Chair of ACRES - American Civil Rights Education Service - a program which allows high school students to take Civil Rights tours of the South and receive advanced placement college credit at Medgar Evers College. (Students from Long Island high schools have participated in the Civil Rights tours.)

Sheila’s involvement in the new degree program at Medgar Evers College provided the primary focus of her professional activities, along with authoring activities, such as completion of a planned book entitled, Sakhu: Secrets from Ancient Psychology for Human Transjormation.

What fun we had during those years, as we watched Dara grow, and we got to be the special people in her life, as Sheila had been to my children. We watched her play in her wonderfully outfitted back yard, attended her treasured violin recitals, school plays, high school graduation, from the prestigious Friends Academy, then the equally impressive George Washington University, where she'd earned scholarships, academic honors, then, following in her mom's footsteps, earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. How incredibly proud Sheila would have been to see Dara receive her M.S. this past August, and to know that she's begun work on her Ph.D.! What an amazing example Sheila set in her educational accomplishments, and how proud we are of Dara's outstanding career and scholastic goals!

In 1979, Sheila returned to New York, to help Mom care for Dad, who was valiantly fighting, but losing his battle with colon cancer. After Dad's death in 1980, Sheila and Mom bought a home in Setauket, where they could be close to us, on Long Island. As a closely knit family, we loved being in close geographic proximity, so we could enjoy day-to-day activities, and particularly special events, such as her marriage to Tony Johnson, and the birth of our glorious Dara, on July 22, 1981!

Moving back east in 1971, Sheila became an Asst. Professor of Black Studies at Brown University, and Asst. Professor of Counselor Education in the graduate program at Rhode Island College. She skied, enjoyed trips back home for family and friends, then, ever the inquisitive and passionate advocate, developed growing interests in the Civil Rights Movement, and the struggles of African Americans. Soon, she was off to California, to take on increasingly impressive roles as Director of Counseling at California State College, Sonoma, then Chairman of the Department of Black Studies at San Francisco State University.

In 1959, Sheila returned to New York to continue her studies, and earn her undergraduate degree in Psychology at City College of the City University of New York. She then began her teaching career in Elementary Education in Harlem, and bought her first car - a snazzy, eye-catching, cherry red MG. She dressed like a movie star, traveled cross-country, went to parties, and did all the other "hip" things that “twenty-somethings” did in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

She was my Maid of Honor when I married Chris Chisholm, then Godmother to my first child, my daughter Kelli. In fact, she, and Chris's mother, Dorothy traveled to Europe in the Summer of '63, for a grand tour, then a final stop in Germany, to be with us for Kelli's birth.

In 1965, my son Kevin was born, and Sheila continued to be the most incredible aunt any two children could ever hope for. She was "Auntie Mame," “Peter Pan,” and "Mary Poppins" all rolled into one. She had adventures, travels, and fun, and brought endless delight to all of us, especially my two young children.

In 1966, Sheila married a fellow teacher, Gil Mezz, and with their mutual  growing professional development and interests in human rights, they headed out to Tempe, Arizona to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They lived on a Reservation and sent back amazing stories of the struggles and challenges faced by Native Americans. It was during those years that Sheila completed her M. A. in Counseling and Student Personnel in 1968, and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education in 1971, from Arizona State University.

After high school graduation in 1958, Sheila bravely ventured out to Iowa State University, where she studied in a completely new environment.

She had traveled on the 20th Century Express, one of the most glamorous ways to go in those days. The train left from Penn Station, we were all dressed in our "Sunday Best," which was the way people traveled in those days, and we later learned that a scene from a Cary Grant movie was being filmed on that very train.

Sheila's first stop had been Chicago - Mom's home town - where she was met by Aunt Jo, who took her to visit other relatives, and show her the Windy City. Then Aunt Jo dutifully delivered Sheila to Iowa State University, and all that it promised this intrepid young woman from the Big Apple.

I continued to be so impressed with my baby sister and what seemed to me an entirely glamorous and adventurous new life. The furthest I’d ever been from home were the mean, segregated streets of Salem, Virginia in the summer of ’51, when Sheila and I were first exposed to the harsh reality of the “Coloreds Only” signs at restaurants, drinking fountains, movie theaters and other public places.

Sheila was now venturing way beyond that, to continue her education and begin a journey of professional and personal growth and expansion that I always admired and envied. In the early years, I had been able to hide behind my big-sister bravura, but now, my little sister, with her incredible spirit of adventure, was upping the game!

As teenagers, we continued to move in separate worlds, and develop different interests and friendships, but, we continued to be close, loving, and supportive.

We went to parties, snuck out of the house to go to forbidden places, and did what respectable teens did, driving our parents mad and our grandparents even more so. But even so, I watched my lovely little sister continue to be a wonderful student and become a beautiful and graceful debutante.  She was presented at a grand cotillion, which, in the mid 1950s was still an enviable and spectacular event. She was a sweet and delicate dreamscape in her glorious gown, which seemed to encompass the entire ballroom, and frame her beautiful presence like a cloud.

I remember my mom looking gloriously glamorous, and taking on the beautifully combined presence of Elizabeth Taylor, Lena Horne, and Rita Hayworth. My dad - who was normally a quiet and reserved man - on that particular occasion, beamed with pride and was particularly elegant in his snappy white tie and tails. He was Fred Astaire, Harry Belafonte, and Cary Grant, all rolled into one.

When we were still young girls, we moved to the gloriously protected environment of Riverton, and treasured our widely varied, interesting and impressive neighbors, which included teachers, lawyers, judges, doctors, entertainers, and people from just about every other walk of life that you could imagine. It was a wonderful way to grow up, and we always valued having been surrounded by such an exceptional microcosm of the world.

We had the kind of endless fun that sisters had: laughing at silly things, falling in love with gorgeous movie stars, playing with our friends in games of hide-and-seek, double-dutch, and pick-up sticks. We roller skated, took turns riding on the one bike we had to share, and for city kids, we were also lucky enough to participate in our fair share of sports. During the school year there was Riverton's great central playground, overseen by the wonderful Coach Puggy Bell. There we got to swing, climb jungle gyms, play hop scotch, and shoot hoops.

And then there were the wonderful summers that we were fortunate enough to have. Summer camp, for example, softball, swimming, horse-back riding, tennis, and the glorious art of skinny dipping into a deliciously refreshing and moon-lit Adirondack lake. Then there were also the summers at South Hampton, Sag Harbor, and Belmar. All offered the opportunity to escape the asphalt jungle for July and August, and enjoy glorious beaches and the opportunities to make and keep lifelong friends.

We walked to school together, and by the time we'd arrived at the rollicking walls of All Saints Catholic School, we'd had our regular run of chatting with friends and neighbors, making up silly games, and laughing at the great and colorful range of Harlem sights, which included the local bodegas, barber shops, beauty salons, dry cleaners, shoe repair shops, and the usual array of staggering winos, and boisterous drunks.

After 8th grade we moved on to separate high schools and paths that began to differ greatly, but always, always, we were "joined at the hip" as sisters, allies, warriors and friends. Everyone knew that to mess with one of us was to incur the wrath and sure retribution of the other. It just wasn't a good idea to give either of us any reason or opportunity to have to protect the other!

As we got older we were able to venture out on our own, taking buses, subways and taxis to the endless array of New York wonders: movies, plays, museums, ice-skating rinks, zoos and riding stables, for our gallops through Central Park. And, of course, there were those trips to the famous outer reaches of Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, to visit friends, and really live on the wild side! And of course, as we got older, there were all those wonderful midtown jazz clubs and Greenwich Village coffee shops. And as we moved from childhood to young adulthood, there were the complexities of life... protest marches, sit-ins, and political rallies. It was the sixties... an incredibly complicated time of excitement and deep concern!

In the beginning it seemed like we were interchangeable: Donna/Sheila, Sheila/Donna. Everyone had trouble telling us apart... until they were around us for more than 3 or 4 minutes. I was the big-mouthed bossy one; Sheila was the quiet, sweet, caring one... always giving, always loving, and always happiest when she'd pleased you.

In the earliest years, we lived in a magnificent apartment house, that boasted a majestically uniformed doorman, a beautifully furnished lobby, and an iron-grilled elevator, commanded by a smartly-uniformed operator, who always greeted us with a jaunty "Hey there, little ladies."  We lived with Mom, Dad, Aunt Dot, Uncle Bob, and Fifty, our wonderful and aptly-named Airedale Terrier who had been purchased for the, yup, you guessed it, the then-unheard-of fee of $50.

This was the mid '40s, and Dad was off fighting in World War II, serving in Europe and Asia, and in his absence, Mom always made sure that we were loved, protected and doing all the things that children loved to do. In those days of innocence and wonder, it was the usual endless adventures that New York City kids enjoyed -  playing in courtyards, running in parks, romping in playgrounds and celebrating birthdays on rooftops.

On Sundays, Mom would take us for a ride down the glamorous Fifth Avenue, on a double-decker bus, where, from the top level, we never tired of oohing and aahing over the elegant mansions and expensive shops on one side, and the wonderful trees, zoos, lakes, fountains, statues, restaurants, and bicycle paths of Central Park, on the other.