Anne Meredith Swan-Johnson

Anne Meredith Swan-Johnson, loving daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away on January 28, 2023, at her home in Savanna, Illinois, surrounded by family, friends, and caregivers. She was 82 years old.

Anne was born January 16, 1941, to parents Dr. Maxwell and Ruth Anne (Swan) Johnson in Williston, North Dakota. In 1942, Maxwell joined the Army Air Corp and served as a flight surgeon in WWII. Until his deployment overseas, Anne and her mother joined her father at military bases in Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Louisville, Kentucky. Once her father went to Europe, Anne and her mother moved to Madison, South Dakota (where younger brother Maxwell, Jr. soon was born) to live with Grandma and Grandpa Swan.

After the war, the family moved to Park Ridge, Illinois, where her father Maxwell began a private medical practice. The family grew with the addition of sister Sarah. Anne graduated from Maine Township High School in 1959. She then attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota, but left in her Sophomore year to marry her high school sweetheart, Peter Kramer in 1961.

Anne and Pete established their home in Des Plaines, Illinois. In 1962, they welcomed a daughter, Katherine; and in 1967, a son, Steven. In 1970 Anne and Pete divorced. Anne would marry 3 more times. Anne worked many jobs while continuing to raise her children in Des Plaines. Pete remained an involved father and visited his children often. Pete would later remarry in 1977.

During the late 60’s, Anne began to pursue her interests in writing and painting. In 1996, she sold her house in Des Plaines and moved to her beloved Savanna, Illinois, a picturesque town along the Mississippi River. It’s here where she looked forward to write and create art. She worked for several years at Swiss Colony in Clinton, Iowa until her retirement in 2011. While in Savanna, Anne became a faithful member of the Community United Church of Christ, and also a committed member of many local arts and wildlife conservation organizations throughout Illinois and Iowa.

Her true passion in life was her art. Always eager to improve her skills, she took many college courses throughout her adult life and attended writing workshops at the University of Iowa. She became a very talented writer, photographer, painter and sculptor. In 1998, she published a book, “I Talk to Myself” about her experiences growing up in the Dakotas and Illinois. Her art has been displayed in colleges and galleries in Freeport, Galena, Morrison, and Elizabeth, Illinois; as well as in Davenport and Clinton, Iowa.

Anne will be remembered for her love of family and friends as well as her zest for life. She travelled far and wide. And was always going somewhere. She’ll always be remembered by friends and family as “Immortal Anne.”

Anne was preceded in death by her parents and her daughter, Katherine. She is survived by her son, Steven (Alexandra) Kramer, brother Maxwell (Mary) Johnson Jr., sister Sarah (Greg) Olef; nephews Andrew and Will Johnson; grandchildren Matthew (Sara) Wright, Hannah Wright, Forrest (fiancee' Stephanie) Wright, Willow Wright, Griffin Wright, Allison (Jeremy) Odzer, and Peter M. Kramer; and great-grandchildren Evelyn and Emilia Wright.