Johnson was born in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, on 13 January 1906, to parents Edward (1877–1937) and Mamie Simon. She had at least one sister, Catherine Underwood (1902–1989).

On 21 December 1924, at the age of 18, she married Luster Johnson (1903–1941). The couple had five children: Raymond Johnson, Thomas Bruce Johnson (1929–2020), Geraldine Huffine (1933–2018), Dorothy Goad, and Lois Pyrdum (1940–2015). Her husband passed away in a car accident on Christmas Eve in 1941. After her husband’s passing, she got a job working with the Standard Candy Co. in Nashville, where she remained until the age of 65. Johnson moved from Nashville to Clarksville at the age of 101, when she moved into the Spring Meadows Health Care Center.

When asked about the factors contributing to her old age, she credited her habit of walking everywhere rather than driving a car. She was a long-time member of Woodmont Baptist Church.

Johnson passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, on 27 May 2016, at the age of 110 years, 135 days. She was survived by three children, 11 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.