In Remembrance of Zionsville’s
Elizabeth Wiest Johnson
Writer // Janelle Morrison • Photography // Staff and submitted
Publisher’s Note: I felt compelled to share a story about my first meeting with Liz Johnson. We met at the office on Wild Air Farms in 2013 to do an interview. Well into her 80’s at that time, she had just flown in from California earlier that day but was willing to sit down for the interview late one beautiful summer afternoon that ran in to early evening. I was captivated for over two hours by the stories she shared of her life and of a special time gone by. As it was time to go, I asked if there was someone picking her up or could I give her a ride. She smiled and said that wasn’t necessary as she donned a big floppy hat, dropped her cane in the back seat of her Jaguar convertible and headed down the road. It was an experience I will never forget. What an amazing woman!
O
ne of Zionsville’s most gracious and accomplished residents passed away on April 30, 2022, at the age of 94. Mrs. Elizabeth “Liz” Wiest Johnson was the owner of Wild Air Farms and was a passionate equestrian who devoted her life to “hunting and showing and loved it all.” Johnson’s philanthropic contributions to the community—specifically to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis—are worthy of being mentioned and remem-
bered in this issue of Zionsville Monthly as a tribute to an extraordinary woman who impacted our Zionsville community. In August of 2013, Johnson was featured on the cover of Zionsville Monthly, and subsequent articles–in this publication– featured Johnson’s beloved Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show (TPHCHS) on numerous occasions. I had the extreme honor of volunteering for the Johnson family and served on the TPHCHS committee as the publicity
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chair in the final years of the nationally renowned six-day, four-ring show that ran for nearly four decades and generated more than $1 million to charities from its inception. I thought it prudent to pay my respects to this remarkable lady and highlight the vast number of accomplishments and contributions that Johnson achieved that benefited Zionsville, Boone County, the state of Indiana and the equestrian world.
MAY 2022
2022-05-31 12:03 PM
