Claudia Laura Johnson

Claudia Laura Johnson passed away peacefully on May 9, 2017 of natural causes at Cedars Sinai Medical Center at the age of 95.

Claudia was born in Winnepeg, Canada and moved to Los Angeles in 1939. She met her future husband, Bert (deceased in 2010), in 1944 at a dance for Bank of America where they were both employed. They married the same year. They had two loving daughters, Linda (Robert) Savitt and Kris (Alan) Duke. She is survived by her adored grandchildren, Michael (Carmela) Duke and Erica (Teddy) Forsyth. She was blessed last month with two great-grandsons, Nash Nils Duke and John Thorston Duke Forsyth.

Claudia was the matriarch of our family. She was always ahead of her time. In the late 1950's she went to night school to get her real estate license and the rest is history. She started her own company in Baldwin Hills and sold 1,000 homes in her career. She was not only the quintessential salesperson but a comedian and pianist who spoke Italian and French, and who was an expert on anything to do with health and medicine. Claudia had the unique combination of being the funniest woman in the room while also being the most glamorous. She always said that her greatest achievement was her family. She was witty until the end—her last words were: "Well, it all worked out, didn't it."

She is survived by a brother Ezio (Genevieve) Briasco, a sister Gerri (Art) Cragnotti and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be Private. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California.