Tributes

It is with deep sorrow that Mrs. Cynthia Johnson "Cindy" Smith and her family announce the death of her beloved mother, Mrs. Barbara Funderburk Johnson, 82. Mrs. Johnson, the widow of Pee Dee "Dicky" Johnson, entered into rest on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. The Directors of Brown-Pennington-Atkins Funeral Home & Crematory are caring for the family. A funeral service to honor her life will be held at 2 o'clock on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, in North Hartsville Baptist Church. The Rev. Ladell Humphries will officiate with burial to follow in Westview Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 pm on Monday, December 18, 2023, at the Brown-Pennington-Atkins Funeral Home. Memorials may be made in her honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Mrs. Johnson was born in Darlington County, SC, on November 2, 1941 She was the daughter of the late Alexander Funderburk and the late Etta Jones Funderburk. She was the middle child born third out of five kids to her parents. Barbara, or Bobby, as she was referred to by her parents and siblings, was strong, wheeled from the get-go, and always had a fast comeback! She has shared a special bond with her mother throughout her entire life. She was known as the rock of the family for her siblings. Loving all of her sisters and her one brother was always easy for Bobby, but she shared a special love for her baby sister, Brenda. Bobby often referred to Brenda as one of her best friends! Bobby grew up on the North side of Hartsville and was very much her sibling's keeper. If you messed with them, you were messing with her. Bobby married PeeDee "Dicky" Johnson in 1959, and they were blessed with a daughter, Cynthia Ann. Barbara had lots of jobs, including driving as an escort with her husband for Vulcraft. But her favorite job was being a Momma. Barbara's name would change one more when she became a "Ma Ma." Cynthia and her husband, Eddie Smith, gave Pee Dee and Barbara three granddaughters: April, Jennifer, and Magan. Bobby loved all her girls with her whole heart. As the matriarch of her family, she was known for hosting family dinners and was used to hearing, "Hey Ma Ma, what are you cooking today?" from all her grandkids. She became a "Ma Ma" to many kids throughout the years, But she was also blessed with four great-grandchildren. She would always say she was biased, but those four kids were the most beautiful children God had ever put on this planet. Blazlea, Avery, Abby, and Cooper held a special place in her heart, and she would light up every time she saw them. Bobby was a woman who loved God and her family, but she was so much more than that; she was funny with her comebacks, and she was loyal, strong, and tough! She was our rock! She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, and the Greatest Mother and Mama ever! Barbara went to celebrate Christmas in heaven with her husband and Parents on December 12th. Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Cynthia Johnson "Cindy" Smith (Eddie Smith); granddaughters, April Smith, Jennifer Smith Griggs (Clayton Griggs), Magan Smith Gardener (Willie Gardner), and Nicole Barefoot; four great-grandchildren, Blazlea Donahue, Avery Smith, Abby Gardener, and Cooper Griggs; siblings, Mary-Lou (George) Miller, Brenda (Jerry) Harris, Alexander "Buddy" (Peggy) R. Funderburk. She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Pee Dee "Dicky" Johnson; her parents, Etta and Alexander Funderburk; her beloved grandmother, Mary Grooms; sister, Betty Jean Jackson; mother-in-law, Ivory Larymore Johnson; and her special friends, Elise Byrd, and Diane Dazell.

Tributes

Mrs. Barbara Funderburk Johnson

November 2, 1941 - December 12, 2023