Mary Anne Armstrong

Mary Anne Armstrong, 72, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family in Redondo Beach,

California on January 25, 2025.

Mary Anne was raised in Marlow Heights, Maryland. She graduated from La Reine Catholic School and

American University in the DC area. She then boldly moved across the country to attend Cal

(University of California, Berkeley) where she received her Master’s Degree in Statistics.

She met her husband of 45 years, Roger Johnson, in Cal’s Computer Center where Roger worked. He

made sure she received personalized, expedited assistance that ended up changing her life forever.

She and Roger purchased their first home in Oakland, California and were married in 1980. They

later moved to Lafayette, California where they spent the next several decades raising their

children.

Mary Anne spent her entire professional career at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. Over her

42 years there, Mary Anne became a Managing Director and chair of the Local Research Committee. As

director of the Division of Research Biostatistical Consulting Unit, she provided statistical

consultation to members of The Permanente Medical Group. She authored more than 85 peer-reviewed

scientific publications on a wide-variety of topics, including the relation of alcohol use to blood

pressure, coronary disease, and stroke; utilization of health services before and after alcohol

abuse treatment; neonatal assisted ventilation; and women’s health. She was a mentor and friend to

countless colleagues and medical residents who will never forget her positive spirit. Her impact

and legacy will be felt at Kaiser for decades to come.

As dedicated as Mary Anne was to Kaiser, she was even more devoted to her family and friends. She

was chauffeur, dance mom, basketball coach, girl scout troop leader, tutor, and confidante. She

never missed a football game, baseball game, or a dance recital. She loved the beaches of Hawaii,

wine tasting in Sonoma and going back to the East Coast to see her best friends turned family. She

loved her book club, long dinners with friends, and decorating the house from top to bottom for any

holiday but especially Christmas. (Her Nutcracker collection should be displayed in the

Smithsonian.) And, she loved the Oakland A’s. She and Roger held season tickets behind home plate

for 40 years. Anyone who met Mary Anne will never forget her immediate warmth, compassion,

generosity, and infectious energy.

Mary Anne is survived by her loving family: husband Roger, daughter Jennifer, daughter Amanda, son

William, cat Maui, and four grandchildren: Noah, Jack, George, and Isabel who will all miss her

more than words can describe.

A memorial service will take place on Friday, February 7, 2025 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at

St. Perpetua’s Catholic Church; 3454 Hamlin Road, Lafayette, CA 94549.