Marla Manda Johanssen, 1938-2007.

Ms. Johanssen pictured last year, with one of her estimated 17,000 handguns.

I received from very sad news from the United States consulate in Vietnam this morning: beloved Wihinapa handgun activist, editorialist, renegade Winter Parade grand marshall and vigilante manhunter Marla Manda Johanssen passed away late last night in a Hanoi hospital, only a few hours after arriving in Vietnam. The immediate cause of death was listed as dysentery.

As you may recall, Ms. Johanssen had traveled to Vietnam to apprehend the fugitive leftist urban guerilla Dr. Thomas Jefferson Harding. She deplaned yesterday afternoon, made a few remarks to local media, and retired to her hotel room, complaining of exhaustion and what one of her accomplices termed "an extreme and pervasive Communistic atmopshere." She was found dead later that evening.

Armitage Hill Christian Church, located at 8402 Gresham Avenue in Armitage Hill, will be holding a memorial service tomorrow evening. Donations will be taken and contributed to a fund set up in Ms. Johanssen's name. You may contribute online at this website.

Ms. Johanssen was beloved by many in the community for her outspoken views and willingness to speak out on popular issues of the day. I have assembled some links to a few of Ms. Johanssen's best-loved and most notable letters to the Herald-Leader over the years. I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to her three surviving sons, Barry G. Johanssen of Wihinapa, Buckley Johanssen of Lubbock, Texas, and J. Birch Johanssen of Provo, Utah.

• "Is your editorial board run by East Germans?" (March 2, 1980)
• "James Watt: An American Hero" (Feburary 12, 1981)
• "Iran-Contra is distracting from the real issues" (November 19, 1986)
• "Who will stand up for the billionaires?" (July 7, 1993)
• "James Brady: Stalinist patsy?" (March 1, 1994)
• "When the roll is called up yonder, George W. Bush will be there." (October 28, 2002)
• "Your coverage of Ronald Reagan's funeral must have been written by East Germans" (June 11, 2004)