Lisa Margaret Johnson

1986 - 2025

Lisa Margaret Johnson

Dec 11, 1986 - Sep 18, 2025

Lisa Margaret Johnson, 38, passed away on September 18, 2025, after a sudden decline in health. It is with great sadness and abiding love that we mourn her passing and celebrate her extraordinary life.

Lisa was born December 11, 1986, in Roanoke, Va., to Robert and Heather Johnson, and was the youngest sibling to her two brothers, Ben and Andrew. Raised in Charlotte, N.C., she graduated from South Mecklenburg High School in 2006 and resided with her parents for a time before relocating to Winston-Salem, N.C., where she lived in the UMAR Homes for adults with intellectual/development disabilities.

Overcoming both medical and physical challenges throughout her life, Lisa faced adversity with an innate grace, strength and perseverance. She quickly came to love her 'sisters' at her UMAR homes and the many members of her beloved Maple Springs United Methodist Church, who welcomed her into the embrace of their congregation. She lived her life as a beacon of love and empathy, and made a lasting impact on everyone lucky enough to have known her. Instantly disarming with her kindness, humbleness and sincerity, Lisa forged effortless friendships that she cultivated into lasting relationships with her genuine curiosity and concern for others. She never let a birthday or anniversary or special occasion go by without a call or a sweet note to let you know she was thinking of you. And she was always thinking of everybody, without fail, and without expectation of anything in return.

Always eager for her next endeavor, Lisa kept her calendar packed, participating in Special Olympics, becoming a barista at MOJI Coffee & More, exploring the culinary arts by earning a baking certification, crafting countless pieces of art (some of which were recognized and displayed in the community), activities with the men from Centenary UMC, cheering on her favorite teams (Carolina Panthers, UNC Tar Heels, and NC State Wolfpack, a delicate balance of family loyalties emblematic of her diplomatic nature), and becoming an active member at Maple Springs Church, where she participated and volunteered in every activity she could. If she saw an open door she would walk through it, knowing that she belonged. But she also wasn't afraid to push doors open, advocating for herself and others with a keen sense of right and wrong and a thirst for all of life's possibilities.

But above all else, Lisa valued her beloved friends and family and the time she spent with them. She had an unrelenting dedication to know and retain the most minute goings on of both immediate and distant family alike, and making sure we were all kept in the know of important events and news. Her superpower was that she truly cared enough to reach out, to connect and to listen, and that she truly just loved us all so very much.

Lisa will be remembered for her compassion, her resilience, her desire to help others, her silly nature and sharp wit, and her pure spirit. She will forever live in our hearts, just as we lived in hers.

Lisa is survived by her parents, Heather and Robert; her brothers, Ben and Andrew; her grandmother, Molly Miller of Greensboro; and her expansive family of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews throughout the country.

A memorial service honoring Lisa's life will be held at Maple Springs United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 2, 2025. A reception will follow in Craven Hall at Maple Springs.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Lisa's memory to the Maple Springs Food Pantry (maplesprings.org), the UMAR Legacy Fund (monarchnc.org/umar), or the Kabuki Syndrome Foundation (kabukisyndromefoundation.org/donate).