Katrina Johnston's Obituary
Katrina “Trina” Johnston passed away on July 22, 2022, at the University of Utah Hospital from medical complications. She was 60 years old.
Trina was born on October 11, 1961, in Riverside, CA, to John B. Johnston and Virginia “Ginny” Lee Johnston. The oldest of three, she was a precocious, strong willed, and often anxious child. After her parents moved the family to Germany for a couple years, they moved back to the United States and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Trina later attended Skyline High School. Although she excelled academically, Trina was particularly proud of her athletic abilities, lettering in both swimming and track. She graduated from Skyline in 1979.
After high school, Trina’s path became less direct. She matriculated to the University of Utah in the early 1980s and graduated in 1993 (almost twelve years later) with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Following her graduation, Trina became a social worker, working for the Utah Division of Child and Family Services and various assisted living facilities over the next decade and a half.
As proud as Trina was about her academic and professional accomplishments during this time of her life, her proudest accomplishment was her two sons: Jason Burt (born 1986) and Dane Richeson (born 1991). When Jason and Dane were young, Trina was the quintessential “sports mom,” always volunteering for whatever role their baseball or basketball teams needed, whether it was scorekeeper, snack procurer, or coach. Those that knew Trina, even for short periods of time, knew she loved her sons unconditionally, supported them incontrovertibly, and bragged about them unremittingly.
Trina’s life was not without its afflictions. Throughout her life, the vicissitudes of her physical and mental health complicated and strained her relationships with family and friends. She was stubborn and persistent to a fault. And she had an innate need for attention, which often caused personal conflicts and difficulties with others. In spite of her flaws, however, Trina was capable of being profoundly empathetic, supportive, and loving in unexpected moments. She always did her best to never pass judgment on others. And, most impressively, she possessed an inscrutable resolve and optimism.
These latter characteristics, undoubtedly, are what led Trina to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in her later years, in part, to make positive changes in her life. She had a strong desire to know her personal savior, Jesus Christ, and strived to learn all she could about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in pursuit of that goal. In this endeavor, Trina was exceedingly proud of holding a current temple recommend. Importantly, her life was made better by her faith and the companionship she found as a member of the Bountiful Shadows Ward.
Trina was many things in this world. Though the bad tended to shroud the good, she touched and added value to the lives of everyone she knew, even if realizing how, may require a willingness to look past the bad. Trina was loved and she will be missed. She is survived by her father, John, brother John “Jay” Johnston, sister Shannon Elliott, son Jason and his wife Danielle, and son Dane. She was preceded in death by her mother, Ginny.
Memorial services for Trina will be held at 11:00 a.m. on August 6, 2022, at the Bountiful Shadows Ward, located at 1476 N. 300 W. Bountiful, UT. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Trina’s name to your preferred charity.
What’s your fondest memory of Katrina?
What’s a lesson you learned from Katrina?
Share a story where Katrina's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Katrina you’ll never forget.
How did Katrina make you smile?