Barbara Neville Johnson
October 17, 1949 – March 14, 2019
Barbara Neville Johnson rode off into the sunset on March 14, 2019. Barb was an avid horsewoman, artist, author, and lover of animals and nature. She had an adventurous life. She started life as an Air Force brat, living in many different places in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. In the early ’60s, she lived in Madrid, Spain with her family. That is where she became proficient in Spanish, but more importantly, where she had her first horse.
Barb was a talented and creative artist. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Sculpture at the University of Hawaii. She expressed her art through painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and jewelry making. She painted a multitude of oil paintings for much of her life. Many of those paintings are now hanging on the walls of family, friends and purchasers’ homes today.
In the last years of her life she expressed her art through writing. As Barbara Neville she wrote: the Spirit Animal series (11 titles), Cha’a Many Horses series (3 titles), Max Storm Shadow Mysteries (2 titles), “The Cowboy Dictionary” and “The Cowboy & Injun Dictionary.” “Bury the Hatchet” (her final book, part of the Cha’a Many Horses) was released in the last couple of weeks. Her writing was a real passion in her life.
Barbara married Peter Johnson. Her greatest love were her children, Tiger and Fox. She was proud and joyful that Tiger is a pilot, following in the footsteps of the grandfather he never got to meet. She was proud and joyful that Fox shares her passion for animals, especially horses. She was a loving aunt to her nieces, Chelsea and Michelle Neville Cordell, introducing them to the care and feeding of a menagerie of farm animals.
Barbara and her husband Peter were some of the last people to have a residential homestead in Alaska. She also homesteaded and proved up on a business site in Alaska.
Upon moving to Arizona, Barbara got Tiger and Fox involved in 4-H. She participated as a leader even after her children were old enough to move out of 4-H. For more than 10 years, she was active in Farmer’s Markets in Santa Cruz County. She was an organizer and a vendor, selling eggs, jewelry, homemade goat cheese, and honey. She served on the Board of the National Resources Conservation District in Santa Cruz County.
In Arizona, her love of horses grew into a love of many different animals, including cats, dogs, goats, chickens, guinea fowl, peacocks, turkeys, ducks, horses, cows, and maybe more. When visiting her Rancho De Los Osos, one never knew what critters to expect to see.
Barbara is survived by her son Tiger, daughter Fox, husband Peter, sister Nancy, brother-in-law Martin Cordell, nieces Chelsea and Michelle Neville Cordell. She was preceded in death by her parents Bertie “Sam” Mart (Grange) and Harry Walter Neville, maternal grandparents Ellen Alverda (Jensen) and Ray Clifford Grange, and paternal grandparents Ruth Ann (Boyed) and Walter Henry Neville
Barbara was a loving daughter, sister, wife, and mother. Her surviving family and friends already miss her warmth, loyalty, wisdom, keen mind, and wit. Happy Trails Barbara. We miss you and love you.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local Humane Society, Animal Rescue or the American Heart Association.