Barbara Smith Johnston, 81, of Cherry Hill, a social worker for Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Hammonton, N.J., and the Merchantville School District, died of complications from a stroke Thursday, March 6, at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
Mrs. Johnston chose social work for a career, daughter Jennifer said, because she wanted to be "an advocate for those who may not have a voice."
Born in Hampton, Va., Mrs. Johnston was the valedictorian of the class of 1951 at Huntington High School in Newport News, Va., and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1955 at Virginia State University. Mrs. Johnston then earned a master's in social work in 1958 at what is now Virginia Commonwealth University.