Linda Vartan Dombourian Johnson

Linda Vartan Dombourian Johnson, 77, of Fort Myers, Florida died peacefully with family by her side, April 23, 2023. She is preceded in death by parents Vartan N. & Adele I. (Armstrong) Dombourian, sister Ann Z. (Dombourian), brother-in-law Tom Moore, and many Dombourian aunts, uncles, and cousins. Linda was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and graduated from Benjamin Franklin High school in 1963. She maintained a loving relationship with classmates and a great attachment to her school. Linda graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Florida. At UF, she and her teammates won first place in the Intercollegiate Writing Competition. Linda also made the Top 20 in individual competition, going on to receive a scroll for the Hearst Honor in 1968. After graduation, Linda moved to a then small town, Fort Myers, and immediately began to make her mark on the community. She and her mother opened Adele Dombourian & Associates which carried many oriental rugs from their family business in New Orleans, Dombourian Oriental Rugs. Many individuals will remember Linda's generosity, but she also gave time and talent to many organizations, including the Junior League, where she served as president. She made many lifelong friends and took them all to her beloved hometown for Hurricanes, Jazz Fest, and Commander's Palace. She celebrated every holiday, including Mardi Gras, by decorating with music, art and whimsy. A talented creative writer and an effective communicator, she dedicated over 40 years to Lee Health, starting her career in Public Relations and later became a director. Linda retired after over 17 years of service in the Marketing/Communications Department. Linda's dedication brought her out of retirement in 1999, when she joined the Lee Memorial Auxiliary as an Administrative Assistant, where she stayed another 23 years retiring (again!) in 2022. During her time with the Auxiliary, Linda was honored with the Doc Coggins Award for Excellence and the creation of the Linda D. Johnson Education Scholarship Fund. Both awards recognized her unwavering devotion to the Auxiliary and Lee Health. Unbeknownst to her, Linda was also inducted into the "Oxford Comma Club," where her love/hate relationship with the comma will live in perpetuity. Full of wisdom, Linda was someone with whom many would confide and get honesty and sound guidance free from judgement. Her wisdom was felt through her words and it spoke to your soul. Linda had a way to make you feel special, loved unconditionally, and safe, touching the lives of every person she encountered. Linda radiated energy and kindness, making her a joy to be around. Those who were lucky enough to have known her will forever remember all the good she brought to their lives. Linda loved her family, friends, and co-workers and always expressed her appreciation for what they added to her life. She loved living, entertaining, celebrations, cooking, music, and traveling. With a knack for pizazz, she made every event special and showed her love with food, drink, and great company. The birth of her son, Scott Thomas Moorey, was her happiest day. She was a proud and loving mother, forming an unbreakable bond with Scott from day one. Their love was open and honest and filled with all the respect that Linda was known for. Scott has truly been Momma's boy in all the good ways. On December 18, 1993, she married John "Jack" Johnson, and the third time was the charm for both. She was his Yin and he her Yang forever. An attentive and devoted couple for almost 30 years, they traveled the world and experienced many firsts together including becoming stepparents and what Linda considered to be the most joyful of life's gifts, grandparenthood. Linda loved her bonus children, Ashli and Tucker, having a meaningful loving relationship with both. In 2001, Linda, lovingly known by her grandchildren as Gambo (Grandma+Gumbo, an homage to her hometown), was gifted with twin granddaughters. She showered all her nine grandchildren with love, affection, admiration, and college funds. The relationship Gambo shared with her grandchildren was enjoyed through travel, baking (pumpkin bread favorites!), sleepovers, and a whole lot more. Gambo introduced her grandkids to the arts through cultural experiences and took them on many adventures. They will all be looking for pennies and thinking about her every time they see a magnolia bloom. Her legacy will continue with daughter-in-law Sara Moorey at the helm ensuring all familial traditions are kept to continue on for generations to come. Despite the big shoes to fill, Linda has prepared her for her new role in the family. Linda is survived by her husband Jack, her son Scott Moorey (Sara), bonus daughter Ashli (Dave Thirion) Johnson, bonus son Tucker (Hanna) Johnson, grandchildren Madalyn, Jillian, Sadie, and Sydney Moorey, Samantha, Melinda, Drake Thirion, Rhett and Evelyn Johnson. Among her many surviving Dombourian cousins, Greg (Maureen) Dombourian, held a special place in her heart. A Celebration of Life will be held, August 12, 2023, at Cypress Lake Country Club at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Lee Memorial Auxiliary's Linda D. Johnson Education Scholarship.