Barbara Ann Maltby Johnson

Barbara Ann Maltby Johnson, 91, passed away on September 28, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was a devoted wife and mother, a gifted medical professional, a tireless advocate for the sport she loved, and a woman of deep Christian faith whose generosity touched countless lives.

Born and raised in a Catholic family in Denver, Colorado, Barbara was the daughter of Horace and Mary Maltby. She excelled in her studies of science and medicine and graduated from Loretto Heights College in 1956. She often spoke with pride of her parents and grandparents, and she passed that love of heritage to her children and grandchildren.

For more than forty years she shared a marriage of extraordinary devotion with Ben Butler Johnson, a distinguished nephrologist. Together they raised five children in Jackson, Mississippi, where Barbara worked alongside Ben as a medical technologist and directed the renal laboratory. She was his partner in life, work, and family. Though she sacrificed a great deal as a young mother, she was determined to ensure that each of her children would succeed and be happy. Whatever the need, great or small, she never stopped offering her love, support, and assistance.

Barbara was a remarkable intellect who read a book every week of her life, read the newspaper every day, and never met a puzzle she would not finish. She shared her passion for education, science, and medicine with her friends, children, and grandchildren.

An avid bowler, Barbara introduced the sport to her husband, her children, and many others who would never have tried it without her. She served bowling as an administrator at the state and national levels and as an appointee to the national board of the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC). Her many awards and honors reflected her work as a devoted mother, wife, Christian, and leader. Her bowling travels across the country with fellow enthusiasts led to lifelong friendships she deeply treasured.

Barbara believed in equality for all people and in the dignity of all life. She gave generously to charities, especially those serving children in need and those providing medical care to the less fortunate. She was a lover of animals and found great joy in the dogs and cats who shared her home in her last twenty years.

Those who knew Barbara remember her infectious laugh, quick wit, cheerful spirit, and how she never met a stranger. She loved big family meals, dining out, traveling the world with her husband, and later visiting her children, family, and friends for as long as she was able. She was a shoulder to cry on for anyone in need, and she prayed faithfully for departed friends and their families. She never wanted to waste a single moment of life.

After Ben's passing in 2005, Barbara spoke of him lovingly every day, making certain that his accomplishments and character were never forgotten. She held fast to her faith and her belief that she would one day be reunited with him, and with the family and friends who went before her. Though her absence leaves an unimaginable emptiness, her love remains—in the stories her family will continue to tell, in the laughter she inspired, in the traditions she helped create, and most of all, in the hearts of those who were blessed to know her.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Horace and Mary Maltby; her husband, Dr. Ben Butler Johnson; her brother-in-law, Martin C. Johnson; her brother, John R. Maltby; her sister, Marie Maltby King; her sister-in-law, Beverly “Boo” Maltby; and brother-in-law, William E. King. She is survived by her five children, Louis C. Johnson, III (Julie) of Nashville, TN; Charles M. Johnson of Memphis, TN; Michael D. Johnson (Pamela) of Oxford, MS, Mary J. Johnson and Margaret J. Sykes of Denver, CO; her brother, William A. Maltby of Parker, CO; and sister-in-law, Glenna S. Maltby of Centennial, CO. Barbara also leaves behind deeply treasured grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Richard Catholic Church in Jackson, MS on Friday, October 16th. Visitation will be from 10:00am-11:00am followed by funeral mass from 11:00am-12:00pm. Immediately following the funeral will be a procession, with escort, to the graveside service at Parkway Memorial Cemetery in Ridgeland, MS.