And the Kitchen Sink
Wayne and Mabel Johnson
Give All to Their Community

In the only photo he ever posed for during their life together, Wayne and Mabel Johnson wait to be married outside the Reno Courthouse before he went off to serve in WWII.

You'd never know it when you meet petite Mabel Johnson, but her family's innovation and willingness to share have created more than one milestone in Napa Valley history. Her father, Sattimo Dal Porto, is credited with designing and installing the first frost prevention sprinkler system, now commonly used in vineyards, as well as planting the first chardonnay vines in the Valley.

Mabel Johnson

"The hospital has to be in St. Helena," says Mabel. "I've had that available my whole life; I couldn't think about losing it! I feel good that what we earned and saved is going to do some good."

A Strong Team

The determination, loyalty and intelligence Wayne showed in sports also made him a valued friend and pillar of the community. When Wayne was 21, two years of determined persistence paid the most important dividend of his life: 18-year-old Mabel finally agreed to marry him. In the only photo Wayne ever posed for during their life together, the young couple stands on the steps of the courthouse in Reno. They were among dozens of couples waiting during the WWII rush to be wed before Wayne went off to serve in the Navy.

In the years to come, the home they built near Carpy Field would be filled most weekends with the laughter of friends enjoying the couple's pool and outdoor kitchen, which sometimes featured the fish and game Wayne brought back from hunting trips with his buddies at their McCloud cabin. "I'd do anything but hunt or fish," says Mabel, recounting the many sports she also participated in, "so I was glad to have him do that with his friends. It went both ways. Wayne didn't like to travel, but he knew I did, so he encouraged me to go on trips with girlfriends. I think that was why we got along so well; we encouraged each other to do the things we enjoyed."

An Easy Decision

"St. Helena Hospital," Mabel responded, without a moment's hesitation.

"Me, too," said Wayne. Neither ever suggested an alternative.

From that moment on, Wayne and Mabel became part of St. Helena Hospital. Wayne, with his knowledge of taxes and charitable giving, was the catalyst for the hospital's endowment and planned giving program, which was established with the couple's first gift in 1991. Together, seven years later, they established the Johnson Medical Equipment Fund that has already equipped the Mabel and Wayne Johnson Urology Suite. Mabel has her own office in the lower floor of the hospital where she's worked for many years as a volunteer, stuffing envelopes, folding brochures and doing whatever task comes her way to assist fundraising for the hospital. Mabel points to a bouquet of flowers from the hospital foundation, a reminder of her recent decision to make their third and largest gift to St. Helena Hospital, their family irrevocable trust. The trust, which includes their home of nearly 60 years, represents their faith in the future of St. Helena Hospital.

"Our goal was to improve the hospital, to entice good doctors to come here," she says. "We were always in agreement, whatever we did. If Wayne had been with me, talking about this gift, he would have been nodding in agreement. It's what he would have wanted, too."