Jennifer Lynn Johnston was born on September 11, 1975. She passed away on June 3, 2026 at the age of 50.

She is survived by her mother, Teresa Ann Tharp of Winnsboro, TX; her aunt, Susan Van Pelt of Kirbyville, TX; her cousins, Alicia Kay Butler of Azel, TX, and Samuel Zachary Childers of Bryan, TX; stepsiblings, Shane Tharp of Rowlett, TX, Dane Tharp of Ft. Worth, TX, C.J. Tharp of Rockwall, TX, Trent Tharp of Caddo Mills, TX, and Tamarra Dedmon of Dallas, TX.

She was preceded in death by her father, Anthony Joe Johnston; her grandparents, William Everett and Grace Lewis and Osville and Natalie Johnston; and her stepfather, Jimmy N. Tharp.

Jennifer grew up in Mesquite, TX and graduated from Mesquite High School. She attended The University of North Texas where she received a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology. Her passion after graduation was to work in dolphin research. She did an internship program in Hawaii in the hopes of being able to work full time in the program, However, the research institute lost funding and closed. She also interned at a sea life park in New Zealand for three months to work with their dolphins. Though she never lost her passion for dolphins, she decided she did not want to pursue a PhD in order to work in other programs and research facilities.

Jennifer loved baseball and played softball from her childhood up into her adult years. After a shoulder injury, she had to give up playing. Yet, she still remained a Texas Rangers fan.

Jennifer was also passionate about genealogy. She spent countless hours researching online and drove hundreds of miles to search in graveyards for ancestors. In her research, she traced her ancestors through her father's family back to her sixth great grandfather, born in 1753, who fought in the American Revolution. She had documentation that would have allowed her to become a Daughter of the American Revolution, a Daughter of the Confederacy, and a Daughter of the Republic of Texas. However, she never submitted her documentation to those organizations for admission. Her passion for genealogy led her into gravestone restoration, which she found rewarding.

Jennifer spent many years working for UPS running their airport security office at DFW airport. After leaving that position, she eventually came to live with her mother and stepfather at the family farm in Winnsboro. She learned all aspects of managing the farm. She was a "natural" with cows and was soon lovingly referred to as "the cow whisperer".

A service for Jennifer will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Beaty Funeral Home in Winnsboro. Burial will be at Shady Grove Cemetery in Wood County.