The Jennifer Anne Johnson Memorial Fund
Jennifer's Obituary
Jennifer Johnson died on Tuesday November 25, 2025 at her home in Tempe with her family by her side. She was 57 years old.
Born on December 31, 1968 in Denver Colorado, Jennifer moved to Tempe with her family in 1970 and attended Rural Elementary, McKemy Jr. High and McClintock High, graduating in 1987. She earned her BA in Psychology with Early Childhood Emphasis from Scripps College in 1991.
Jennifer enjoyed a long and impactful career serving families and children, starting in 1991 as an Assistant Director with Douglas Ranch Camps and teaching at University of Colorado-Boulder’s Children’s Center. Upon returning to Tempe in 1996, Jennifer served for seven years at Open Horizons Child Development Laboratory, leading this innovative early childhood education program as Director and developing a unique community collaboration with ASU, the Tempe Elementary and High School Districts, and the City of Tempe to deliver high quality early childhood education and research. In 2005, Jennifer joined the State of Arizona Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families as the Head Start State Collaboration Director where she focused on improving the quality of early education and health for Arizona’s children.
Jennifer’s career culminated with helping to launch First Things First, the State of Arizona’s signature early childhood health and education program. In her 14 years at First Things First, she led the design and development of the Arizona Early Childhood System, launched local governance and oversight boards, and created partnerships with agencies and service providers statewide. As a result of Jennifer’s leadership, hundreds of thousands of Arizona’s most vulnerable citizens received high quality early childhood education.
Jennifer’s commitment to community extended beyond her job. She served on the boards of Tempe Community Council, Tempe Leadership, Tempe Community Action Agency, Tempe Sister Cities, the Boys & Girls Club, and the City of Phoenix Human Services Commission. Giving back wasn’t something she did—it was who she was.
And Jennifer was equally known for her creativity, humor, and delight in life’s adventures. She was a devoted fan of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, happily road-tripping all over Arizona and Mexico to hear them play and often finding her way into the VIP area with uncanny skill.
She was a gifted artist whose home always reflected her imagination, most famously through her signature “penny ball fountain” made from pennies perfectly smushed on the railroad tracks. Friends and family loved her for her themed costumes, big-dog energy (quite literally as she always had large dogs), and her passion for traveling with loved ones. Rocky Point, Vail, and the family Cabin in Minnesota held especially warm memories, but the truth is: Jennifer could make any place feel like a celebration.
She embraced every excuse for joy. She co-founded the Tempe Tarts Bunco group, helped host the legendary “Eve of the Eve” bar crawl on December 30th, paddled out for the Witches Regatta on Tempe Town Lake, and championed the glory of “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Jennifer adhered strictly to the commandment to “have a little fun every day,” spearheading family kayaking trips, wine nights with friends, and innumerable In-N-Out runs. Her jubilant spirit was a gift to everyone around her.
Family was everything to Jennifer. Her nieces, nephews, their friends, and her friends’ children knew her as “Aunt Jennifer”, and she could always be counted on for advice, encouragement, and an unshakeable belief in their value and potential. She was in the front row with loud cheers and kazoos at every graduation, wedding, and major life event, but also displayed equal enthusiasm for the day-to-day victories, joining her loved ones in celebrating and uplifting what was important to them.
Jennifer lived a life of gratitude and hope, always looking ahead, even through challenges. Ollie the sheepadoodle, her constant companion and comfort, was at her side for every chapter and brought her immeasurable joy.
Jennifer is survived by her father, Pen; her brother Gregg; sisters-in-law Nancy Johnson, Joan Widdifield and Joan M. Johnson; nieces and nephews Jennifer Mary, Kyle, Colin, Scott, Melissa, Kate, Aaron, Natalie, and Chloe; and her three great-nephews Judah, Stevie, and Nick. Her mother Zita and brothers Mark and Steve preceded her in death.
The Johnson family will join with the community in celebrating Jennifer’s life on March 20th from 2-4pm at the Tempe Center for the Arts.
To honor Jennifer’s memory, the family invites donations to Tempe Community Action Agency’s Jennifer Anne Johnson Memorial Fund at https://tempeaction.org/jenniferannejohnson/ or mail to 1208 E Broadway Rd. Suite 111, Tempe, AZ 85282.
