Natanya Maria Johnson passed away Friday, Aug. 19, 2011 at Providence Regional Medical Center – Colby in Everett, surrounded by her loving family. Natanya was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 11 and suffered many critical health complications as a result.

She was born to Lydia and Michael Johnson and will be missed by her family as well as her extended family of friends who loved her dearly.

Natanya was a gifted artist and explored many mediums of expression before pursuing her career as a chef. In 2006 she graduated from the Culinary Academy in San Francisco and while there interned at Incantu restaurant for the prestigious Chris Consentino before moving back to Whidbey. On Whidbey, Natanya pursued her craft at Prima Bistro in Langley as the pastry chef and was highly respected and adored.

Natanya was slyly funny and her generous laughter was contagious. She was committed to meditation and spiritual growth and she loved her friends and family. She was an incredibly hard worker and a visionary, and with more time there is no doubt she would have conquered mountains. Her reverberant life ended too soon but the impact she had on people was astounding and a testament to her ageless spirit.

Her family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Whidbey General ER and Providence Regional Medical Center – Colby in Everett, as well as the technicians and nurses at the Puget Sound Kidney Center in Oak Harbor and all of the EMT’s who came to her aid. Thank you for taking such good care of our beloved.

In lieu of flowers the family would be grateful for donations to one of Natanya’s preferred foundations: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, Gastroparesis and Dysmotility Foundati