SCHENECTADY — Karen Johnson, an irrepressible civic leader who remains the only female mayor in city history, died Monday morning after a long illness.

Johnson, 77, died at home after a long battle with an autoimmune disease that robbed her of liver function. Her sons, Kent and Eric Johnson, said in a statement that Johnson died peacefully at home in the Stockade.

"We are heartened by the outpouring of affection and support from the community she loved," they said, adding that "a public celebration of her life and legacy" was being planned for this summer.

After serving as the first woman on the City Council, Johnson won the city's top job in 1983 over Republican Frank Duci, who at that point had served three terms as mayor. She defeated him again in 1987, but declined to seek re-election in 1991. Duci, who was returned to office for a final term that year, died on April 28.

After she left the mayor's office, the Democrat remained in politics as a part-time county legislator. Anthony Jasenski, the Legislature's chair, said the panel would miss "her vast experience and wisdom."

Mayor Gary McCarthy, who knew Johnson for decades, called her a "monumental leader."

"I am forever grateful to have had Karen as a mentor and as a friend," he said.

Thearse McCalmon, the woman who hopes to unseat McCarthy in this month's Democratic primary, said Johnson broke down barriers and paved the way for other women to seek office.

Friends and family say Johnson made her mark working mostly behind the scenes for causes she believed in.

"She just always enjoyed being with people, and enjoyed being involved in things that were helping people," Don Ackerman, who served with Johnson on the Schenectady County Legislature, told the Times Union when the newspaper profiled Johnson in January. "I think people were her hobbies."

Johnson's cultural work including 24 years as manager of planned giving for Proctors. She was a 15-year board member of MVP Health Care, and served for a period as its chair in 2013.

Former campaign manager and longtime friend Sonia Rubenstein described Johnson in January as quiet, smart and strong.

"She was very forward-thinking," said Rubenstein, who ran a program that assisted senior citizens when Johnson was mayor.

Rubenstein said Johnson organized street fairs, worked with merchants and tried to spruce up city parks, all in an attempt to boost civic spirit during a period in which job cuts at General Electric threatened the city's tax base and financial stability.

"I think her crowning achievement was keeping the city afloat," Ackerman said.

In August 2018, Johnson was made a Patroon — the city's highest honor. But Kent Johnson said in January that his mother wasn't one for accolades.

"Every time I've seen her recognized for something, somewhere in the acceptance or the discussion of it she would deflect from her and either use the opportunity to remind everyone that none of the stuff could happen except for a bunch of people working together — or she would use it to say, 'Let's inspire some people for the future,'" said Johnson, CEO of the Ohio-based Highlights children's magazine, which was created by Karen Johnson's grandparents in 1946.

He said his mother was passionate about running Schenectady well and strengthening the arts, jobs and education. "She got her sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from the work itself, and the results and the process," said Johnson.

Schenectady City Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo described Johnson as "selfless when it came to helping her constituents, and she was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and dive right in. She was a constant public servant."

Fellow Democrats said Johnson was equally as dynamic on the campaign trail, where her tenacity earned her the nickname "Banzai Johnson," after the Japanese battle cry.

"When Karen saw somebody, it was 'Banzai!' — off she went," said David Roberts, who along with Johnson was part of the political landscape when Schenectady Democrats gained control of the city's government.

Roberts, now a Schuylerville resident, said Johnson was not afraid to look silly dancing the polka or jogging down the street to talk to someone.

Alan Goldberg, current MVP board chair, said Johnson was a "true pioneer, a visionary, and an overall compassionate and kind person."

"She played an instrumental role in guiding us through a changing health care landscape, including helping MVP navigate and enter into the New York State Health Exchange. Karen will be remembered as a leading light and a shining example of empathy towards others--always putting the greater good of the community before herself," Goldberg said in a statement.

Johnson grew up the only daughter with three younger brothers in suburban Cleveland, and graduated from Radcliffe College. Her family has roots in Westfield, a town in the western part of Chautauqua County, where Johnson's parents spent their retirement years.

Johnson and her then-husband, a research scientist, moved to the Electric City in the late 1960s when he took a job with General Electric.

Kent Johnson said she would often bring him and his brother, Eric, to her outings in the community.

"We would be under a table having our sandwich, or we would be quietly in the corner, and this stuff was kind of happening and was normal," he said.

pnelson@timesunion.com - 518-454-5347 - @apaulnelson