Juanita Deniene Johnson

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Juanita Deniene Johnson, known to most as “Deniene” who left this world peacefully on April 16, 2026 at the age of 58, at home in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Deniene was born on July 22, 1967, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Deniene had a great sense of humor and you could hear her laugh from two doors down.

Deniene never met a stranger. If you ended up behind her in the supermarket line, you’d also end up with a new recipe using whatever was in your buggy. She was an incredibly generous person. There was always an extra seat or two at the dinner table for whichever of her boys’ friends were over on any given night and she could always find a warm bed or couch or pallet on the floor for her temporarily displaced family members.

Deniene loved spending time in her garden and finding new ways to use whatever was in season. She also loved to entertain. You could almost always count on a weekend cookout at the Johnson house, complete with her famous potato salad. She also had a heart for animals, particularly dogs. If she drove by a stray, it’d have a name and a warm bed that night.

Deniene’s number one love in life, though, was her family. She lived to support her husband of 40 years, Ivan, and poured everything she had into her two boys Jeremy and Travis. She loved the holidays when she could get together with her four sisters, mom, cousins, and nieces and nephews.

Deniene was preceded in death by her grandparents, Edsel and Juanita Pool; her aunts, Belinda “Sissy” Horstkoetter and Lisa Ellis; and her uncles, Ronald Gene Pool and Edsel Leon Pool.

She is survived by her husband, Ivan Johnson; her children, Jeremy (Marci) Johnson and Travis Johnson; her grandchildren, Sophie and Mia; her parents Alvin Ratliff and Louise Dresser; her sisters, Renee Helms, Tiffany Glover, Rawn Peterson, Meagan Dresser, Roslyn Ratliff, and Carrie Wise. In honor of Deniene, a celebration of her life will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at AE Funeral Services Chapel, Shawnee, Oklahoma. Family and friends are invited to gather to share memories and celebrate her life.

Deniene will be remembered for her generosity, her laughter, and the way she made everyone feel like family.