Diana Johnson

Diana was born in the small town of Montpelier Idaho in August of 1941. She left us to join her beloved husband (and the numerous extended family members that she found through genealogy) when she passed away at her daughter’s home in Salt Lake City, Utah in July of 2020. Diana led a full life, and was kept busy with her church and family obligations, while also battling with her serious health conditions.

Diana and her two younger brothers were raised by their grandparents in Montpelier, Idaho. With three scholarships, one of which was vocal, she completed an Associate of Science degree at Ricks College where she sang with the Opera chorus for performances of Pagliacci and The Bartered Bride. Later, she sang in the Portland Opera where she performed Cavalleria, Rusticana, and Othello in Portland, Oregon. She was married in April of 1963 and had two daughters, Janel and Suzanne.

While continuing her vocal studies, she sang with the Utah Symphony Chorus for 25 years. She also led the singing at her church for many years, which continued even into her branch at the assisted living apartments. She loved teaching art and coaching students in singing lessons as well.

Diana helped direct Roadshows through planning the music, design and completion of stage sets. She also illustrated visual aids for LDS Primary Conferences. When her first marriage ended, she returned to college as an Art Major at the Utah Technical College (now Salt Lake Community College) with additional classes/workshops at the University of Utah. Watercolor and colored pencil were her favorite mediums and her work as an artist continued an artistic tradition from her grandmother. She participated in art shows, accepted commissions, won awards, and was a member of the Utah Watercolor Society.

She married Henry Johnson, a widower who was her next door neighbor, and their families combined. Her food storage room was one of her favorite accomplishments, as she had it filled to the brim with her canned peaches, pickles, and chili sauce, as well as her delicious dried fruit. Diana was very health conscious and always strove to feed her family healthy meals. She was an avid gardener and spent a lot of time researching the best ways she could make her plants flourish.

She enjoyed camping and travelling and was a member of a local mountain club. She enjoyed running rivers and cross country skiing. She visited Yosemite, Yellowstone, Banff, British Columbia, Oregon, the East Coast, the Mormon History Trail, and traveled from Tucson, AZ to Nova Scotia via Florida.

Diana had Type 1 Diabetes for almost 60 years and also fought kidney failure for many years. She delighted in doing family genealogy and focusing on family history. She was also a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. That work has been passed on to her nephew, Byron, to continue her research work.

Diana will be remembered by her children, JoAnne, Janel, and Suzanne, her grandchildren, Nicholas, and Emily, great-grandchildren, Brayden, and Cayde, her brothers, Mike, and Gary, and her aunts, Theo, and Gloria. She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, son, Jeff, and granddaughter, Danielle.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, July 17th at 10:00 a.m. at the Elysian Memorial Gardens at 1075 East 4580 South, Millcreek, UT 84117.

Due to COVID-19, we are holding a graveside service for her. We will be observing social distancing and face masks will be required. Please bring a lawn chair (as advised by the cemetery) and sunscreen/hat/umbrella for extra shade.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) https://www.jdrf.org/ or the National Kidney Foundation https://www.kidney.org/. If you would like a start of Diana’s prized heirloom Christmas cactus, please reach out to Suzanne. Thank you.