Barbara Draper

Barbara Ellen Johnson Draper, 82, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones in her home in Lindon, Utah, on June 18th, 2025, after a long illness. She spent her last moments in the company of her husband and children.
She was born May 10, 1943, in American Fork to Marverda Heloise Paxman and Verland Dittmore Johnson, the third of four children. She grew up in Lindon, Utah. Having lost her father at the age of 5, Barbara and her siblings learned to care for and support one another from an early age, and grief taught her how to cope with adversity. She graduated with honors from Pleasant Grove High School in 1961 and subsequently studied at Brigham Young University, where she earned a cum laude degree in mathematics in 1965. She taught at Olympus High School for two years before focusing on her family and her role as a mother.
She married Richard Don Draper on June 11, 1965, and they had seven children together. Her husband, children, and later, her grandchildren, were her singular focus. She taught her children and grandchildren the importance of hard work and exacting standards. More significantly, she taught through both word and deed how to cope with life's challenges, care for others, and serve as a bedrock from which others might build their lives. Although a woman of few words, she had a listening and discerning ear, and insisted on hugging people entering her home, as well as again when they left. Her influence on others made them better people, without her ever pushing or demanding.
Barbara was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and lived her testimony of Christ. Her quiet, charitable service was an example to everyone who knew her.
Her parents, Heloise and Verland, preceded her in death, as did her stepfather, Reif Wadley, her older brother, V. Douglas Johnson, and her grandson, Jotham M. Draper.
She is survived by her sisters, Roberta Johnson Tree and Kathleen Johnson Blanchard, as well as her seven children and their spouses, all of whom she loved as her own: Jessica, Eleanor,
Jennifer and Travis, Matthew and Mirriam, Julianne and Zachary, Jean and Francisco, and
Christian and Mandy. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Madeleine, Trajan, Livia, Diamalynne, Jareth, Kayla, Nathaniel, Justin, Alex, Emily, Daniel, Mariah, James, Ellen, Dorothy, and Allison.
An evening viewing will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Olpin Family Mortuary Chapel, located at 494 South 300 East, Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the Lindon Second Ward Chapel, located at 610 West 100 South, Lindon, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a viewing from 9:30 to 10:45 am before the service. Interment will be in the Lindon City Cemetery.
Expressions of Gratitude or Special Thanks
Barbara's family has greatly appreciated the invaluable love and assistance from extended family and friends, care providers, and hospice staff. Thank you so much!
Her friends and family miss her terribly.
We remember that every battle of mortality is lost, though the war, through Christ Jesus, is already won.
An evening viewing will be held Tuesday, June 24, 2025 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm in the Olpin Family Mortuary Chapel, 494 South 300 East, Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 11:00 am in the Lindon Second Ward Chapel, 610 West 100 South, Lindon, Utah. Family and friends may attend a viewing from 9:30 - 10:45 am prior to the service. Interment will be in the Lindon City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinnmortuary.com.