Ida D. Johnson, 86, homemaker, B&O waitress Ida D...

Ida D. Johnson, 86, homemaker, B&O waitress

Ida D. Johnson, a homemaker and former waitress, died June 14 of a heart attack at the home of a nephew in Stella, N.C. The former longtime Baltimorean was 86.

Mrs. Johnson had lived on Lloyd Street in Little Italy for many years before she moved to Stella in 1989.

During the 1940s and 1950s, she was a waitress in the B&O Railroad's cafeteria in its former headquarters building at Baltimore and Charles streets.

Born Ida Davis Prince in Alexandria, Va., she was reared in Baltimore and attended city public schools.

Her marriage to George M. Dreves ended in divorce. She then was married for many years to Ronald Johnson, who died in 1999.

In Little Italy, Mrs. Johnson had been a longtime volunteer at St. Leo's parochial school and a communicant of St. Leo Roman Catholic Church.

A memorial Mass was offered Monday.

She is survived by three sons, Eugene M. Dreves and Allen W. Dreves, both of Baltimore, and Joseph Johnson of Rosedale; and two daughters, Georgia C. Dreves and Margaret Dreves, both of Tampa, Fla.; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. A son, Richard Dreves died in 1987, and a daughter, Rose Ella Mae Cook, died last year.

Sister Mary Anna, 81, teacher, pastoral associate

Sister Mary Anna Wilkes, a teacher and pastoral associate, died Sunday of heart failure at Villa Assumpta, the motherhouse of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Woodbrook. She was 81.

Sister Anna was a pastoral associate at St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church in the 2600 block of Wilkens Ave. in Southwest Baltimore for 16 years. She retired last year.

Earlier, she had taught at parochial schools, including St. Ann's on Greenmount Avenue, St. Michael's in East Baltimore, 14 Holy Martyrs in Southwest Baltimore, St. Mark's in Catonsville, St. Joseph's Monastery in Irvington, St. John's in Hydes and St. Leo's in Little Italy.

She also held posts in Washington; Philadelphia; Wilmington, Del.; and Camden, N.J.

Sister Anna was born in Philadelphia and entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1937. She was a graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame and the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, where she received a degree in education in 1959.

She professed her vows in 1941 and received the name Sister Mary Coronice, which she later changed to Sister Mary Anna.

A Mass of Resurrection was offered yesterday.

Sister Anna is survived by a brother, Edward Wilks of Cape May, N.J.; two sisters, Rita Leggieri and Helen Wilkes, both of Trevose, Pa.; and nieces and nephews.

Dominic F. Conoscenti, 79, bottling plant manager

Dominic F. Conoscenti, a former soft-drink bottling plant manager, died Friday of liver and kidney failure at St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 79 and lived in Timonium.

He retired in 1987 as a salesman with Singer Sales in Woodlawn. From 1948 to 1968, he worked at Beverage Capital Corp., where he was general manager of the operation that made Tru-Ade, an orange-flavored soft drink. The company was the local distributor for Canada Dry and Dr Pepper.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Academy Heights, he was a graduate of Calvert Hall College High School in Towson. He attended Loyola College and University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

A member of the Triangle and Greater Loch Raven Democratic clubs, he was appointed a clerk of the court by former Republican Gov. Spiro T. Agnew. He worked at the Parkville traffic court.

During World War II, he served in the Army and was stationed in England, France and Germany. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and received the Purple Heart. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant.

In 1941, he married Theresa Alasha, who survives him.

A Mass was offered Tuesday at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Timonium, where he had been a member.

He also is survived by a son, Joseph Conoscenti of Cockeysville; and two grandsons.

Gloria Neustadt Biggs, 89, Fla. newspaper publisher

Gloria Neustadt Biggs, former publisher of Florida's Melbourne Times and later director of news staff development for Gannett Co., died June 12 of kidney failure at Sunrise Assisted Living in Annapolis. She was 89.

Mrs. Biggs had lived in Annapolis since 1998 and formerly resided in Washington.

She began her newspaper career as a reporter in 1953 and held various editorial positions at Florida newspapers before she was named Melbourne Times publisher in 1973, the first woman to hold that position at a Gannett newspaper.

In 1980, she left the newspaper after she was promoted to director of news staff development at Gannett corporate headquarters in Rochester, N.Y. She retired in the late 1980s and moved to Washington.

Born Gloria Neustadt in New York City, she was raised in Montclair, N.J., where she graduated from high school.

In 1940, she married concert pianist Scott Biggs, who died in 1980.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. June 30 at the Friend's Meeting, 2111 Florida Ave. N.W., Washington.