Mary Johnson

1943 - 2025

Mary Theresa "Terry" Johnson (Bennetts), age 82, passed away at Nazareth House in Fresno, CA, on November 25, 2025.



She was born February 2, 1943 in Fresno, CA, the oldest child of the late Roland and Martha Bennetts. Her family moved to Caruthers to open the pharmacy there. She graduated from Caruthers High School in 1960 as their student body president.



After high school, she went on to California State University of Fresno where she obtained a degree in Business and continued on to obtain a teaching credential. At Fresno State she was a proud member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, a scholarship recipient of the Tokalon Women's Honor Society, and an active member of the St. Paul Newman Catholic Center. She also traveled to Berlin to hear President John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech as a delegate of the People to People leadership program.



She taught high school business classes in Santa Cruz until settling down to raise a family. Later in life, she worked as a Field Operations Manager for the Census Bureau, overseeing the ongoing census surveys conducted within the Central Valley of California. As a result of that job, she knew every nook and cranny of the valley.



She was a life-long avid reader and loved the members of her book club and the Fig Garden branch of the library. She was active politically with the League of Women Voters, the Kennedy Club of the San Joaquin Valley, and would volunteer at the election office every election. She was very involved as a Kappa Alpha Theta alumni and as treasurer of the Tokalon Women's Society, right up to its dissolution in 2020. She was so proud to make a difference in the lives of so many young and capable students.



She is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, John C "Bert" Johnson; her four sons, William, Thomas, Matthew, and Elliott; four grandchildren, Miles, Malcolm, Evelyn, and Audra; four siblings, William, Laura, John, and Julie; and many beloved cousins, nephews, and nieces who will sadly miss her.



Services to honor her will be March 20th, 2026 at the Shrine of St. Therese Catholic Church at 10 AM: 855 E. Floradora Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728, with a grave-side service at St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery at 11:15 AM: 264 N Blythe Ave, Fresno, CA 93706.