Rachael Johnson

Rachael Genevieve Johnson
October 18, 1988 – September 17, 2026

Our beloved daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, Rachael Genevieve Johnson, passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of September 17, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

In the week before her passing, Rachael received compassionate care at Lone Peak Hospital as she faced increasingly difficult health challenges. When it became clear that her fragile body was growing tired, she was able to return home to be surrounded by the people who loved her most.

Rachael was born on October 18, 1988, to Ron and Jill Johnson, the sixth of their seven children. Soon after her birth, her parents learned that she had profound special needs, including cerebral palsy, cortical blindness and deafness, holoprosencephaly, and other complex medical conditions. Her family was initially told that her life expectancy might be only two years. Instead, Rachael blessed her family with nearly 38 years of love, lessons, and unforgettable memories.

Much of Rachael’s life was made possible by the extraordinary devotion and care of her mother, Jill, along with the constant love and support of her father, Ron, her brothers and sisters, extended family, caregivers, and medical professionals.

Rachael had a special way of touching everyone who came into contact with her. She could soften even the hardest exterior and bring a smile to those around her. Her gentle, loving spirit could be felt without words. To her family, she was truly an angel among them.

Rachael had two especially favorite places to be. One was sitting in front of a sunny window while listening to a Disney movie playing at full volume. The other was going for car rides, with her wheelchair positioned near her dad’s ear so she could scream her excitement for being out and about. Both brought her tremendous joy—and, as her family joked, may have helped her dad become a little more deaf over the years.

Rachael also loved being taken on walks in her wheelchair. Although she could not communicate in the ways most people do, those who loved her learned to understand her expressions, sounds, moods, and her own unique way of connecting with the people around her.

Rachael was preceded in death by her grandparents, Newell and Beth Pettit and Clint and Lois Johnson; her niece, Annicka Quinn Ashby; along with beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members. Her family finds comfort in imagining those loved ones welcoming her home.

She is survived by her loving parents, Ron and Jill Johnson; her sisters, Melissa, Becca (Mike); her brothers, Marcus (Susie), Aaron (Heather), Curtis (Maren), and David (Roxan); as well as many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins throughout the country, from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Rachael’s family is deeply grateful for the love, care, compassion, support, and prayers she received throughout her life from family members, friends, medical professionals, caregivers, and her church community.

Those who had the privilege of knowing Rachael were changed by her gentle presence. She taught her family about patience, compassion, service, unconditional love, and the value of a life that does not need words to have profound meaning.

Her family will miss her deeply, but they find peace in their faith and in the belief that Rachael is now free from the physical limitations she has carried throughout her life. They look forward to the day when they will see her again, whole and perfected.

A viewing will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, Utah.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., with a viewing prior to the service from 10:00–10:45 a.m., at the LDS church located at 2447 W 11400 S, South Jordan, Utah.
Interment will follow at South Jordan Memorial Park Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. located at 10630 S 1055 W, South Jordan Utah.

Online condolences may be shared through Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, where a live video stream of the funeral service will also be available. www.jenkins-soffe.com

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Primary Children’s Hospital in honor of Rachael.