Johanna Jane Roden was born on December 10, 1940 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Her aunt Ethel says that from age two she was fascinated with all kinds of insects, butterflies, dogs and horses. Her love of horses was probably inherited from Grandma Roden who always went to the harness races at the Fayette County Summer Fair. When Johanna was five, her father took her horseback riding at South Park, and once she was given some Easter chicks that were kept in the kitchen until they were full grown and had to be given away.
Johanna attended Pittsburgh public schools and graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 1960, and then completed her Masters Degree in Library Science at the Carnegie Library Scool in 1962. She worked at University of Pittsburgh Library as the head of the Government Documents Department until 1965 when she became the Director of Public Services for the Westerly, RI Public Library. In 1968 she became the head librarian for the Stonington, CT Free Library.
On July 6, 1968, Johanna married Lee Vyborny in New London, CT. Johanna and Lee have two daughters, Jennifer and Catherine. When Lee left the Navy in 1971 shortly after Jennifer was born, they moved to Miami, FL. After Lee completed his undergraduate degree, they moved back to Connecticut, and in 1978 to the Charlottesville, VA area.
Johanna Vyborny was a self-taught photographer who worked with patience and diligence to capture the essence of pets and nature in a warm black and white format. She was employed at an animal hospital for over eleven years developed an in-depth understanding of the needs and feelings of pets and their owners.
Johanna and Lee divorced in May of 2005. She spent her later years with her animals on the five acre propery she loved in Boonesville, Virginia.
Aftrer a sudden diagnosis pancreatic cancer in June of 2010, Johanna died a few eeks later in August.
