Johnson, Thelma Irene of Minneapolis, passed away on May 14, 2020 at the age of 96 after contracting the coronavirus. Thelma was born in Wolverton, Minnesota, into a musical family and began studying the piano at 8 years of age. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from MacPhail School of Music in 1948 and developed a long and rewarding career as a piano teacher and an accompanist. She had an amazing musical gift and her devotion to imparting that joy and expertise to others was her life's work. Thelma was an active member of many local musical organizations, notably the Women's Association for the Minnesota Orchestra (now known as the Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra) as her husband Clifford was a member of the orchestra's bass section for 47 years. Thelma and Cliff were known for their generosity, often inviting visiting friends and touring musicians to their home for brunch which featured her much-loved sourdough pancakes. Thelma was preceded in death by her loving husband Clifford, her parents Roy & Ida Larson, and her brothers Billy and Otis Larson. She is survived by her sons Gordon and his wife Susan Taft, and Jimmy and his wife Leslie Nitta. A memorial service will be held at a time in the future when it's possible for Thelma's family, friends and colleagues to gather safely in her honor. In lieu of flowers, Thelma has requested contributions in her memory be directed to the Minnesota Orchestra, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Thursday Musical or Schubert Club. The family wishes to thank the outstanding & courageous staff at Jones-Harrison Residence for their dedication, providing Thelma with the utmost in care. Private interment at Ft. Snelling. Cremation Society of Minnesota.

More words about Thelma:

Thelma was an extraordinary woman whose remarkable life served as a testament to her deep love of music. She was born on September 22, 1923 to Roy and Ida Larson of Wolverton, Minnesota. Roy was a farmer and Ida a piano teacher, and theirs was a musical home. Roy was the choir director of the local church and played the piano. Ida was the church organist and a well-regarded accompanist at Concordia College and around the Moorhead region. Thelma had two brothers, Otis who sang and would become a member of the FM Ambassadors barbershop chorus (now known as the Great Plains Harmony), and Billy who would become a saxophonist who worked in big bands in Southern California. Thelma remembered that the family would often fill their Sunday afternoons with music, playing stock arrangements of popular tunes with family and friends. She went on to study with Vera Narregang at the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Arts in Minneapolis. She received a Teaching Certificate and taught at MacPhail while pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree which was conferred in 1948. Also while at MacPhail, Thelma met Cliff Johnson, a string bassist who was studying at MacPhail under the G.I. Bill. They married in 1948 and Cliff joined the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra that same year. Thelma continued teaching and began work as an accompanist for several vocal and violin studios. Cliff also began tuning pianos and served as instructor of the MacPhail piano technician course for 17 years. Thelma and Cliff had two sons, Gordon and Jimmy, both of whom would follow in their footsteps and become professional musicians.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of playing duets with Thelma will tell you that Thelma didn't cut anyone any slack; you had to play to your best potential when you shared a piano bench with her, and it's no wonder that her sons and her students achieved so much under her guidance. As her friend and colleague John Kember noted, "she had an amazing musical gift and imparting that joy and expertise to others was her life's work". It seems that her joy was found not only in the music, but also in watching her students and her sons grow both musically and personally. Some of her students kept in contact with her long after they completed their studies, and her and Cliff's refrigerator door was a gallery of snapshots of her former students and their children. Such was her influence, and over the decades that she taught, she had a profound influence on many people.

Her work as a professional accompanist was no less influential. Thelma accompanied many members of the Minnesota Orchestra and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as for the master classes of artists that included Joseph Gingold, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Leonard Rose, and Isaac Stern. Telly was an early adapter, so she and her son Jimmy created a home recording studio long before studios became commonplace fixtures in musicians' homes. She used her recording rig to make audition tapes for instrumentalists whom she accompanied. She was particularly fond of accompanying violinists though she was familiar with the repertoire of many orchestral instruments. She was also particularly fond of the music of Brahms.

Thelma was an active member of many local musical organizations that included the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, the Women's Association for the Minnesota Orchestra, WAMMA, YPSCA, Thursday Musical, Schubert Club, the Westminster Music Committee, and the Minneapolis Women's Club Music Committee, among others. She regularly attended concerts and recitals, and she and Cliff were regularly seen at their son Gordy's performances around town.

Thelma and Cliff also enjoyed traveling, typically spending a few weeks each year with friends and colleagues while attending an annual Piano Technicians Guild conference held in various locations around the world.

Thelma decreased her teaching schedule after experiencing a series of cerebrovascular events in 2005-06 and discontinued teaching shortly after Cliff died in 2007. She was fortunate to have her son Gordon, his wife Susie, and kind friends to provide assistance while she lived on in her home without Cliff. In 2010, after suffering a stroke, she decided to move to Jones Harrison Residence, an assisted living center on Cedar Lake where she remained until her death in May. In her final years, Thelma experienced cognitive challenges that developed into dementia. Her family would like to express their deepest appreciation to the staff and care givers at Jones Harrison for their kind and attentive care which allowed Thelma to live to the age of 96.

We will miss her.

Published on May 24, 2020