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Johnsye Massenburg Elliott, 69, a former St. Helena resident, passed away quietly and with dignity on Oct. 3, 2012, in Willits.
She was born Feb. 27, 1943, in Raleigh, N.C., attended Raleigh public schools and graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1961, and from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with honors in 1964.
After graduation, she was recruited to work for the Central Intelligence Agency in Virginia, where she had a top security clearance.
Johnsye moved to San Francisco in 1969, where she worked for Dean Witter & Co. She spent the last 40 years in the Napa Valley, where she was employed in different capacities of the wine industry, including creating special wines and bottlings for her restaurant and hotel clients.
Johnsye was founder and owner of Johnsye Dietz Wine Sales in the Napa Valley, which she sold in 1980 and afterwards worked for Round Hill Cellars from 1984 to 1992, and for the Chalone Wine Group, Ltd., from January 1993 through February 1996.
In a world of unique human beings, Johnsye was one of a kind. She embraced life and all it had to offer with a passion and flair uniquely her own. She was an accomplished businesswoman, musician and artist, and never met an animal she didn’t like.
Johnsye was an avid and fearless sportswoman who loved skiing, tennis, open and whitewater kayaking, mountain climbing, hiking and camping.
Always reveling in the next great adventure, Johnsye traveled throughout most of the world, never failing to collect new friends along the way.
A gracious Southern belle, as hostess she loved gathering friends around her to share good food, wine, music and times together. Johnsye was a generous, kind, fun and loyal friend, and a multitalented, determined, loving woman of irrepressible spirit. She will be remembered with smiles.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother, James S. and Johnsye E. Massenburg, and her brother, James S. Massenburg, Jr. Her survivors include her brother, Edward S. Massenburg and wife MaryEllen, sister-in-law Barbara Massenburg, nieces and nephews, cousins, and countless friends worldwide.
A celebration of her life will be held at 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 28 at 20 Rows Vinoce tasting room, 880 Vallejo St. in Napa.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Johnsye’s name may be sent to Umpqua Bank, 1065 Main St., St. Helena, CA 94574.
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Rosemary Hoffmann
OMG. This is really hard to grasp. If anyone in our class seemed forever young, beautiful, and somehow impervious to death, it was Johnsye. We'll certainly all remember her for the joy and exuberance she brought into our lives.
Rosemary Hoffmann
Ann Bennett (Rogers)
I don't think I've ever met anyone who was as talented, beautiful, smart, and also friendly as Johnsye. I was in awe of her when I met her at Daniels in the 7th grade. She was a wonderful violinist, pianist, artist, acrobat, and adorable to boot! We were in the orchestra together through junior high and high school, and she was a joy to be around. In addition to all her many talents, she was also nice to everyone.
Tim Brannan
Wow. I just looked at Johnsye's profile. How absolutely strange is it that her last street address was on Brannan Street? I have taken up enough time and space on the Home page but suffice it to say this is an extremely emotional time for me--one that I wasn't really prepared for being this intense after all these years. Johnsye, I loved you like only a child could--openly, unguardedly, and completely and even though I have been very happily married for 40 years I realize that somewhere in the compartments of my mind that youngster still does. I am sorry I will be unable to be graveside today, but if you concentrate really hard you may feel the presence of that young boy.
Charles Styron
Johnsye and I sat together for a while at the same lab table in Catherine Fish’s Biology Class in the 10th grade. That was a trip! She was even my girlfriend for several months until Billy Simmons stole her away. I thought at the time that it was because Billy had a car—entirely possible, or at least a factor—but in retrospect, it was undoubtedly because Billy had light years more charm and interpersonal savoir than I did at the time. (Who knows, he probably still does!) Anyway, that was the psychological defense that I constructed for myself. Johnsye was a force, and she had a way of winning over just about anybody. Mrs. Fish used to roll her eyes at the spell that Johnsye had over me for those few months, and it was clear that she didn’t approve of my classroom affections for Johnsye. Biology was serious business, after all, and she didn’t like to share the attention of her students. As fortune would have it, Mrs. Fish became a lifelong friend of mine until she died in the early 1990’s, and I lost touch with Johnsye. I saw her once on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill with her husband in the late 60’s or early 70’s, and we did finally connect again at one of our Reunions in the 1980’s. I remember writing her a long letter on the airplane flight back to Boston, and she returned the favor, exclaiming with great humor that my letter to her was the only one that she had ever received written on barf bags. Hey, I didn’t have any stationery! Anyway, and needless to say, I was extremely saddened to hear of Johnsye’s passing. She was a force.
HAIL JOHNSYE MASSENBURG HAIL