100 and fabulous: Dorothy Johnson dances the night away

Mar. 19—CHEYENNE — It's 8:30 on a Saturday night, and The Bunkhouse Bar and Grill is as lively as ever, with hot burgers, cold beer, live music and people bustin' a move on the dance floor.

At the center of it all is a nearly 100-year-old woman, dancing in her golden tiara and birthday sash, surrounded by three of her seven children, nine of her 16 grandchildren and two of her 19 great-grandchildren.

Dorothy Johnson, who is said to give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money, has one piece of advice for anyone who wishes to live a full and generous life.

"Be happy," Johnson says. "If you've got a problem, change it or get some help."

Renee Fowler, the youngest of Johnson's kids, is the hostess of the event. All through the night, Fowler reads text messages from a fire department and police departments, including the Cheyenne Police Department, all of whom sent their best regards to the birthday girl. CPD texted Fowler that if Johnson ever needed help or a place to stay, they were only a phone call away.

Johnson doesn't miss a beat when she asks her youngest for their phone number.

What's her secret?

Anytime someone celebrates their 100th birthday, one question is always asked: What's the secret to living such a long life?

Johnson was raised on a farm in Russellville, Missouri, where she grew up eating all organic beef, vegetables and dairy. Eating non-processed food and living the active life of a farm girl was what kept her going, Johnson said.

She hardly gave her kids advice, but served as a role model through her work ethic. Many of her kids and grandkids said they admired her driven personality as a fiercely independent woman.

"She was fearless," said Barbara Lambertson, one of her daughters. "Growing up on a farm, I guess that taught her a lot."

Johnson met her first husband at a dance when she was 19 years old. Together, they moved to New Jersey and had seven children, and Johnson used her talent as a seamstress to start her own boutique shop in New York. With her husband away on business trips, Johnson raised her children on her own, and Fowler said her mother would have four kids in diapers at once.

Cancer took the life of her husband by the time he was in his mid-50s, and three of her children also passed away from cancer. Her living second-oldest daughter is a survivor of stage-four cancer.

Her surviving children and grandchildren are spread all over the country, from Alaska to California and from to New Jersey to North Carolina. Despite being so far away, though, they always manage to find each other and reconnect.

Arts, antiques and ancient history

During her time in New Jersey, Johnson developed a love for the opera and antique shops. Her 25-year-old granddaughter, Ashley Griffith, said her grandmother had a great eye for thrift shopping.

"I thrift so much, and I've learned so much from her," she said. "I get my style from her."

When Johnson moved back to Missouri five years after her husband died, she started her own antique shop. She also happened to meet her second husband at a singles event, and Fowler said her mom was like a teenager.

"They said I was crazy," Johnson said. "I said I fell in love."

Johnson also had a love for travel and ancient history. She spent a good part of her life visiting countries such as Spain, Portugal and Egypt. At 80 years old, Johnson climbed the Stairs of Death in Machu Picchu — completely on her own, since the friend she was traveling with got sick.

Matthew Griffith, 53, who is one of Johnson's grandsons, recalled visiting her every spring break when he was in school. Johnson would take him and his brother all over the country, but his favorite memory was of their trips to the Grand Canyon. He, his grandmother and his brother, Brett, hoisted themselves atop a donkey and rode all the way to the bottom of the canyon.

Griffith is the son of Johnson's eldest daughter, Catherine, who died of cancer. He served in the U.S. Army for six years and currently works as a financial advisor in North Carolina. His mom was tough on him and his siblings growing up, he said, but his grandmother refused to "subscribe to drama."

"She would get on my mom's case," Griffith said. "We would gang up on her, and my mom could never win."

When Johnson moved to Cheyenne three years ago to live with Fowler, she decorated the house and designed a reading room so she and her youngest daughter could read together.

"If I don't have anything to do, I definitely read," Johnson said. "I'll sit down and read for two hours, or I'll do a word puzzle."

A tough woman

Jim Lambertson said his grandma "never stopped."

"That's why she made it to 100," Lambertson said. "She's remained mentally sharp. She has remained active. (She's) always been kind, and always loved everybody."

Out of all his cousins, Lambertson said he was the only one who lived with his grandmother on her parents' farm for a year. He recalled a time when she chased after a calf during a storm, but tore all of the ligaments in her ankle after she stepped in a gopher hole.

"Didn't shed a tear," Lambertson said. "Grabbed the calf, herded the calf, and (then) said, 'Jimmy, we gotta go, because I think I need to go to the hospital.'"

While he never got any actual advice from his grandmother, Lambertson said he learned everything from watching her in action.

"I learned that you've got to get your job done, no matter what. Hard work means something," Lambertson said. "God is good and people are OK, if you have a good heart."

Another one of Johnson's children recalled a time when she was outside, and there were two snakes that stood up and looked as though they were dancing. Without hesitation, Johnson took up an ax and lopped the snakes' heads off.

Joan Maguire, one of Johnson's twins, said her mother shook hands with both President Harry Truman and President Gerald Ford. Johnson was a part of a professional women's organization and fought hard for women's rights.

Rachel Wagner said her grandmother is "one of the most impressive women" in her life. Even as she nears her 100th birthday, Johnson is still an active member at church and can be seen giving out food every week.

"Maybe the most impressive is just how independent she is," Wagner said. "She speaks her mind, she takes no crap ... I think that has kept her going."

Hannah Shields is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached at 307-633-3167 or hshields@wyomingnews.com. You can follow her on X @happyfeet004.