Gloria Johanns, whose family has ties to Pearl Lake going back more than a century, has died after a years-long battle with cancer. She was 88.
Her father, Bruno Pierotti, first came to Pearl Lake in 1923 and fell in love with the scenic lake. He and his bride honeymooned on its shores and later built a cabin Mrs. Johanns spent every childhood summer there and she and her husband Charles later acquired their own getaway on the lake, with their great-grandchildren becoming the fifth generation to enjoy its clear waters.
She was born Gloria Pierotti on October 5, 1936, in Chicago. Her parents, both Italian immigrants, took her back as an infant to visit her grandparents in a Tuscan village, so her first language was Italian. On August 31, 1939, just as World War II was breaking out, she and her parents escaped aboard an American ship packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing the conflict. When it docked in New York, a local newspaper dubbed her “the littlest refugee.”
She later recalled that her father insisted that English was the language of America, and that she must learn it well, but that the family would preserve their culture by speaking Italian on Tuesdays. Her lifelong interest in language led to her becoming an English teacher, having earned a BS and master’s degree in English literature.
She taught at Jefferson Junior High in her hometown, Naperville, Illinois, from the school’s opening in 1971 until her retirement in 1991. Striving to encourage precise use of language, she always insisted that her students be able to diagram complex sentences.
Mrs. Johanns and members of her family were preparing to leave on a trip to Italy on September 11, 2001, when news of the terrorist attacks flashed across her television screen, forcing cancellation of their plans. In the succeeding days, it was discovered that Naperville native Naval Commander Dan Shanower was among those killed in the Pentagon. He was the son of Patricia Shanower, a close friend and colleague at Jefferson Junior High School.
Mrs. Johanns urged that a memorial for him and other 9/11 victims be created in his hometown. As a result, a city commission on which she served was empaneled to create such a memorial. Featuring a twisted beam from the World Trade Center destroyed in the terrorist attack, the memorial was dedicated in 2003, one of the first in the nation to be completed.
She and her husband were Naperville residents from 1968 until they moved to Villa St. Benedict in Lisle in 2024.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Dario and her daughter Linda Agnes. She is survived by Charles F., her husband of 66 years; sons Fred (Linda Dee) of Punta Gorda, FL and Naperville; Charles D. (Carol) of Western Springs, IL; son-in-law Michael Risley of Naperville; as well as by nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
A memorial service for her was held on August 12 in Naperville.
