Heidi A. Johanson, a special education teacher in the Greenport School District who retired in 2014, died on Nov. 1 at the Acadia Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Riverhead. She was 66 and had renal failure.
Ms. Johanson grew up in East Hampton and still lived here. She was a basketball player while at East Hampton High School and coached a number of sports during her tenure in Greenport.
She was born in Southampton on Nov. 4, 1958, to Carl F. Johanson and the former Holly C. Grinter. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education at the University of Tennessee, graduating summa cum laude. She remained a lifelong fan of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Early in her career, she worked for two years for the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Westhampton Beach. In Greenport she taught high school students first and then elementary students.
She enjoyed going to yard sales on weekends with her mother and her sister and attended the Hampton Classic Horse Show every year with her mother. In the winters, she liked spending school breaks in Melbourne, Fla., with her parents. She traveled with a large group of co-workers, usually on cruises. A true trivia whiz, she was a fan of “Jeopardy!” and crossword puzzles. She watched the Westminster Dog Show yearly, the pug being her favorite dog.
“Her heart was loyal and she never took anything too seriously,” her family said.
In addition to her sister, Kelly A. Pike of Water Mill, she is survived by two brothers, Carl F. Johanson of Oakdale and Kurt A. Johanson of Hampton Bays. Also surviving are a brother-in-law, Gary M. Pike, a sister-in-law, Cathy Johanson, and seven nieces and nephews: Caroline and Matthew Johanson and Christopher, Kayla, Garret, Chad, and Taylor Pike.
Her family has suggested memorial contributions to Best Buddies International, 100 Southeast Second Street, Suite 2200, Miami 33131, or bestbuddies.org/donate.
