Barbara Johnson

Barbara (Salbin Spinelli) Johnson was a powerhouse, breaking norms and exceeding expectations, especially for a woman of her generation.

Born on March 13, 1941 in Newark, NJ to Cecelia "Cele" Abramson Salbin and Edward "Big Ed" Salbin, Barbara moved with her parents, brother Chuck (1946-2008), and Aunt Frieda Abramson to Nutley, NJ when she was a teenager, and graduated from Nutley High School in 1958 along with her best friend Diana (Romano Scaglione) Stein (1941-2009). In 1960, Barbara married her first husband Thomas Spinelli, and together, they had a daughter, Tara Spinelli.

While Barbara's dream was to study acting at NYU, her parents only had money saved for her brother's college education, leading Barbara to follow in her father's footsteps and study court reporting, becoming a Certified Shorthand Reporter, taking verbatim transcripts of proceedings in courtrooms and boardrooms. With partner Woody Waga, Barbara established her own very successful court reporting business, working on high-profile matters, including travel to Europe, especially Paris and London.

After a 30-year career in court reporting, Barbara returned to her passion for acting, studying in NYC, earning her Actors' Equity and SAG-AFTRA cards, and working professionally on voiceovers, movies, and television series such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Sex and the City, Law & Order, All My Children, As the World Turns, and Ed.

Barbara had a knack for recognizing the value of other people’s stuff and helping them sell it, also running a successful antiques and estate sale business for several years.

Barbara was an avid tennis player, meeting her husband Denis Johnson on the courts. He offered to help her with her serve, whereby tennis and love kicked off their 51-year marriage from August 31, 1974.

Barbara was known for her cooking and entertaining prowess, hosting countless dinners and parties over the years, arguably rivaling Nutley's other Martha Stewart. Barbara was a fashionista, critic, and sometime cigar-smoker, known for her sharp wit, generosity, and inclusiveness.

Although Barbara always said she would never die, she did so peacefully on September 24, 2025 after a four-month fight.

Barbara is survived by her husband Denis, daughter Tara and her husband Jorge Madrazo, granddaughter Miranda Madrazo and her partner Thomas Boniello, grandson Kai Madrazo, cousins Molly, Guy and Aaron Dor, sister-in-law Denise Johnson, sister-in-law Judy Kass and her husband Mark, nieces Rachel and Ally Kass, first husband Thomas Spinelli, friends-for-life Arlene Elgart Mirsky and Ann Takvorian, and other much-loved family and friends too numerous to mention.

If you are so moved, please donate to your favorite arts or animal-related charity in Barbara's memory.