Brenda Kay Johnson
1950-2019
Our beloved mother and grandmother, Brenda Kay (Bartlett) Johnson, left this earth to be with the Lord April 11, 2019, after a hard fought battle with cancer. She was born Nov. 21, 1950, to Lowell and Mary Lou (Gardner) Bartlett in Cape Girardeau, MO.
Brenda grew up in St. Louis, MO, and Cahokia, IL, where her family attended the Maplewood Church of Christ. The family moved to Salt Lake City when Brenda was a junior in high school, and she graduated from Olympus High School in 1968. Following graduation, she attended Magic Valley Christian College in Albion, ID, for one year before transferring to Oklahoma Christian College in Oklahoma City, graduating with a degree in elementary education in 1972. After college she moved back to Salt Lake City to be with her family and worked in the banking industry for five years. She loved the beauty of the mountains and skiing at Snowbird Ski Resort.
Brenda returned to Oklahoma City in 1977 and met her husband, Rickey Lee Johnson, at the Mayfair Church of Christ. They were married April 15, 1978. The couple moved to Edmond in 1979.
Brenda worked for the Edmond Public Schools nutrition program for 28 years and managed several school cafeterias. She was a member of the Edmond Church of Christ and spent many summers working at Sonshine School. She cherished the time spent with numerous coworkers who became life-long friends.
On weekends, Brenda enjoyed spending time at her lake house at Lake Texoma. She found peace in the tranquility of the surroundings and spending time with family and friends. She also fulfilled her dream of owning a boat for her family to enjoy.
Brenda will be remembered for her perseverance and hard-working attitude. She was a follower of the Lord till the very end and was a faithful Christian example to her family. She fiercely loved her sons and her grandchildren and wanted nothing less for them than to be successful, happy, and to revere the Lord.
Brenda is preceded in death by her parents and grandparents, Louis and Mary Lucille Gardner and Emmett and Tonie Bartlett.
She is survived by her husband, Rick; her sons, Dr. David and wife Summer of Edmond, OK, and Thomas and his wife Betsy of Edmond, OK; grandchildren, Kale, Eden, Crosby and Keller Johnson; her sister, Donna and husband Michael Moore, of Salt Lake City; two nephews Gregory and wife Erica Moore, and Stephen Moore, all of Salt Lake City; one uncle, Ward and wife Reba Gardner of Bella Vista, AR; cousins, Steve and wife Margaret of Rogers, AR, and their four sons, and Pamela Gardner and her daughter of Huntsville, AL; and many dear friends she cherished as family.
Services will be held April 19, 2019, at 2 p.m., at the Edmond Church of Christ, under the direction of Matthews Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Chisholm Elementary PTO, 2300 E. 33rd St., Edmond, OK, 73013. Checks must be marked “Brenda Johnson” in the memo.