Barbara Le Thornton, age 76, of Lakeville, MN, passed away peacefully on the evening of December 29, 2025 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. She made her way to Heaven, in the home she loved so much, surrounded by her husband, four kids and two sisters. She was greeted with open arms by her parents Glenn and Genevieve Johnson. She was also preceded in death by in-laws William and Bernice Thornton, sister in-law Delores Thornton, brother in-law Bill Thornton, and nephew Kasey Becklin. We miss her tremendously, and forever will. Barb is survived by her husband of 45 years, Dan; children Jeremy Thornton (Aimee), Kristin DeMartino (Brian), Brian Thornton, Laura Carlson (Dan); and ten grandchildren Caden, Avarie, Camden, Owen, Max, Greta, Henry, Reagan, James, and Finn; all of whom she loved more than anything. She will also be dearly missed by her two sisters, nieces and nephews and many loving friends.

Barb was born November 1, 1949 in Lake Crystal, MN to her loving parents Glenn and Genevieve Johnson ("Bunny" and "Papa"). She was later joined by two younger sisters, Roxie and Sharry. The three of them grew up on the family farm until Barb was in middle school, where they then moved into town. Barb graduated in 1968 from Lake Crystal High School. She attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa and graduated with a degree in Education. She went on to teach in Blue Earth, where she met Dan. The rest is history!

Barb married her husband Dan on May 31, 1980. They later moved to Lakeville where they raised their four kids. They stayed busy with countless activities and driving around in the Red Rocket minivan on many, many adventures. Barb was a devoted Mom, always putting her kids' needs in front of her own. Her selflessness transformed into not only caring for her own kids, but her neighbors' kids, friends' kids, and her students. She saw being a mother as a gift, and never stopped mothering despite her kids' ages or stages of life.

Barb had a gift of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. She taught for many years in Early Childhood Family Education in Lakeville. Nobody could set up an early childhood space better where kids could learn and play. She was loved by countless families, who still remember her to this day.

While Barb loved her husband and kids to no end, her real pride and joy was being a Grandma to her ten grandchildren. Nothing was more important to her than her family. Her selflessness continued to show through planning family trips and adventures. Some of her favorites included Disney World in Florida, Hawaii, and Northern MN cabin trips. She was always the best travel agent, making sure all nineteen members of our family had something on the agenda that was special for them. She and Dan also traveled just the two of them. Her love for her family and grandkids could never keep them away for too long. The countless text messages while they were away involved checking in on kids and grandkids. This always had us wondering why they didn't bring us along. With ten grandkids, there was no shortage of events to attend. Although she didn't always understand what was going on, she was always there to support and cheer on each and every grandkid. Her presence at these events will be deeply missed, but we will always save her a seat. Every event, despite the outcome, involved her letting the kids know "I loved watching you." Barb is finally free from cancer, and we find comfort in knowing we have the best guardian angel. She was and always will be the glue of our family.

A Celebration of Life will be held Monday, January 12, 2026 at Hosanna Church in Lakeville, 9600 163rd Street West. Visitation begins at 10:00 followed by a Celebration of Life at 11:00. We invite family and friends to join for a lunch following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Leukemia Research Foundation https://leukemiarf.org, or if you feel inclined to do something special in memory of Barb, donate blood.

Livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/QoIwyr7XhKE?feature=share