Local obituary: Ella Johnson, 21, Washington University in St. Louis senior from Belmont

With profound sadness, we share the loss of Ella Elizabeth Johnson, who passed away on January 14, 2026, at the age of 21, following a long and difficult struggle with mental health challenges. She was just beginning the final semester of her senior year at Washington University in St. Louis.

Ella was, above all else, deeply loved—and deeply loving. From the moment she entered this world on August 24, 2004, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Ella brought light, tenderness, and meaning to those around her. She possessed a rare sensitivity: an ability to feel deeply, to see others with compassion, and to love with an open, generous heart.

Even as a little girl, people often remarked on Ella’s sweetness and gentle disposition. She delighted in visits to the Boston Children’s Museum, exploring Drumlin Farm, running through the Boston Public Garden, and taking trips to New York City, where she loved riding in the horse-drawn carriages through Central Park. Just as often, she could be found curled up with a stack of books—on the couch or in the hammock—reading to her favorite stuffed animals.

Ella attended her beloved Shady Hill School in Cambridge from kindergarten through eighth grade, where her curiosity and sense of empathy were evident from an early age. A teacher once observed, “When a new child enters a group of playing children, Ella is always the one who stops what she is doing and welcomes that child to the circle.” That instinct for kindness and inclusion remained with her throughout her life.

Ella graduated from Belmont High School in 2022 as a member of the National Honor Society. She received the Harvard Prize Book Award, nominated by faculty for exceptional scholarship, character, and contributions to the community. She was also recognized as a Gold Key Scholastic Scholar for her outstanding work as a visual artist. 

Ella had a brilliant and searching mind. She was a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, studying Psychological & Brain Sciences with a minor in Spanish. She was a member of Psi Chi, the Psychology Honors Society, and had earned Dean’s List recognition during her studies. Ella served as a research assistant in both the Lifespan Lab and the Emotion and Mental Health Lab, where she worked on projects exploring adolescent emotion regulation, mental health, and social media use. Ella aspired to one day help young people with their own mental health challenges. Selected for WashU’s competitive Summer Undergraduate Research Guided Experience, Ella distinguished herself as a quick learner and creative thinker. 

Ella radiated beauty—inside and out. There was a sparkle in her eye and a smile that lit up every room she entered. Her physical beauty was only a fraction of the beauty of her soul—a depth and tenderness beyond measure. A gifted artist at her core, Ella was rarely without her watercolors, oils, or canvases in progress, and she loved to sit at the foot of a painting that moved her—spending hours at the Saint Louis Art Museum and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts in quiet reflection. That same sensitivity shaped how she moved through the world. Ella was deeply aware of others’ struggles and responded with compassion, volunteering at women’s shelters and frequently filling the Cambridge Community Fridge with sandwiches for those living on the streets. 

Ella was also a violinist. At 12 years old, she served as concertmaster of the Preparatory String Orchestra at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Music was a constant companion; her playlists ranged from Beethoven and Vivaldi to The Beatles and Steely Dan. Ella found solace in nature—in the sand of the beach and along forest trails. She especially loved boating through the Chatham waterways on Cape Cod, the wind in her hair, her beloved dog Snowy in her lap, with her parents 80’s music blaring joyfully in the background. She treasured her grandparents and held deep affection for her brother, William, her siblings, Kristina, Mark, and Kathryn, and her favorite Siberian cat, Sammy. 

Ella is now held in peace, surrounded by love, and embraced by a mercy greater than anything we can comprehend. While our hearts are broken, we hold fast to hope, faith, and the promise that love never ends and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will carry us through. 

We love you so much, Ella, and we will miss you more than words can express for the rest of our lives.

Ella is survived by her loving and devoted parents, Mark Johnson and Jane Clayson Johnson, of Belmont, Massachusetts; her brother, William Johnson, currently serving a mission in Stockholm, Sweden; her grandmother, Jane S. Clayson, of Lexington, Massachusetts; and her grandparents, Karl and Kathy Clayson, of Carmichael, California. She is also survived by her siblings, Kristina (Michael) Cahill, Mark Johnson Jr., and Kathryn (Jacob) Gulisane, as well as extended family members and countless friends who loved her.

We invite all who loved Ella to celebrate her life. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 24, at 11:00 a.m., with a viewing from 9:30 to 10:40 a.m., at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 65 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02478.

The Johnson family requests that tribute gifts be made to the Ella Elizabeth Johnson Fund in support of mental health and wellbeing at Washington University, and asks that you do something kind for someone else in her honor. 

You are invited to visit Ella’s online memorial page where you can find memorial service details, read her obituary, and share photos, memories, and messages in celebration of Ella’s life.

This local obituary is published via Legacy.com and Brown & Hickey Funeral Home. Want a loved one’s obituary featured on Boston.com? Submit your obituary here, or email it to [email protected].