Johanna Ross was a true free spirit. Born in Massachusetts in 1937 she led an extraordinarily independent, adventurous life of learning, teaching and world travel. She attended the Putney School in the 1950's and later, Indiana University. She was Moscow correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune in the 1960s. She was in particular an exacting and dedicated teacher of social studies first at the Dalton School and later of world history at Newton North, forging lasting bonds with many of her students. She single-handedly renovated two Back Bay apartment buildings when that was hardly lucrative, living in the unheated basement of one of them so she could be on hand to strip and refinish a floor before heading off for a day of teaching. (And also because she loved to pinch pennies). Once retired, she enjoyed bouncing between her small Paris apartment and her larger, much loved home-away-from home in Klaipeda, Lithuania, with frequent exotic side excursions accompanying a small group of renown European botanists to study rare cactus in situ.

Johanna was passionate about many things but most of all about politics. She would cheerfully lecture anyone she met about the evils of Vladimir Putin and the complexity of contemporary Russia, and she had very strong views indeed about contemporary American politics, avidly writing checks in support of local and national Democratic party candidates. Another keen passion was classical music. She was teaching herself to play the oboe and took her treasured instrument everywhere she went. She also loved good food, fine dining and sampling local wines, beers and liquors.

Family was very important to Johanna. She was a devoted aunt to her far flung nieces and nephews, staying in close contact with each, visiting often, attending graduations and weddings, treating them to fancy meals and generally keeping the family connected through the years.

She was in every sense a citizen of the world, exemplified by years of adventures in far flung places. With her flaming red hair and casual demeanor (for years her preferred outfit was an old denim skirt and faded tee shirt) she must have stood out. Most of her travels were solo, when women rarely traveled alone especially in the 1950s in places such as Japan, Russia and the Middle East. She would head off at a moments notice with nothing but a small tote bag stuffed with books, a couple of shirts and maybe a folding rain jacket. She strongly preferred riding public transportation and finding complicated air routes that would take her to new places (and reduce air fare). Fluent in Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, French and conversational Spanish, she would happily talk to anyone she met.

Internment will be private. Plans for local memorial are pending. The family suggests that those who wish to honor Johanna's memory consider the following charities: ACLU, PBS and Heifer International.