Johanna Burch

Johanna Burch passed away on May 15, 2014 at the age of 92. Jo was born in a small mining town in Illinois. In the eighth grade, she placed fourth in the state spelling bee, although neither parent spoke English.

Her father, a coal miner, put four girls and one son through college. She met Virgil Burch at the University of Illinois. They married, and Virgil was off to WWII.

She finished her education and then the country girl spent one year at New York Hospital working as a dietician. After the war, they went west to the San Fernando Valley, where she raised four children. In the seventies, sh...