Roberta Johnson Blitzer was born in 1938 in Mankato, Minnesota to Stewart John and Ann Doering Johnson. She grew up in Lake Woebegone and earned a B.A. from the University of Minnesota, majoring in art and English. Recruited by Hallmark Cards, she worked in the company’s design division in Kansas City before moving to New York City with her first husband, Ron Sullivan.
Living in the West Village and working at a mid-town studio, Bobby designed wallpaper, drapery, educational film strips, and dinnerware. She and Ron were active in civil rights, political action, and protesting the Vietnam War.
In 1968 as her marriage was ending, Bobby escaped the city with sons Nathan and Jason to Woodstock, the perfect place to raise children, make new friends, and enjoy the arts and nature. Her new life in the community was a lifesaver. For 25 years, Bobby designed dinnerware and other items for Commercial Decal, Inc. with the help of Charles Seliger, an abstract artist who enabled her to work from home with regular visits to the Mt. Vernon plant.
Bobby met Bill Blitzer at Deannie’s Restaurant in Woodstock in 1972, when he was building a house in Willow. Sharing life with Bill made many things possible, thanks to his long history with fascinating Willow old-timers, his building skills and green thumbs, and the warmth and friendship of the Blitzer family. Raising her children, building a barn, gardening, harvesting the orchard, yoga classes, and hiking the Catskills were Bobby’s greatest delights.
After retirement, Bobby joined the Woodstock Artists Association and was able to pursue her own art, painting in acrylic and watercolor collage. She served on the Board of Directors and volunteered at WAAM, showing her work at Landau restaurant, Fletcher Gallery, Cox Gallery, the Guild, and other venues around Woodstock and the Hudson Valley. She became a member of the National Association of Women Artists and focused her work on themes of the mystery of life and the path of evolution. Bobby’s work was sometimes spiritual, sometime humorous, and always had a close connection to the natural world of plants, birds, and animals.
Bobby passed away peacefully on October 28. She is survived by sons Jason and Nathan Sullivan, her brother Neal Johnson, and many friends in Willow and beyond.
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