Dr. Tatum Simon Johnson

Dr. Tatum Simon Johnson, 52, passed away Sunday, February 1, 2026, at her home from complications caused by the coronavirus. She was born on September 27, 1973, in New Orleans, LA to her parents, Joe and Lucienne Simon, who survive.

Tatum accomplished much in her life. She won the Arkansas cross-country state championship in 1989 and the state track championship in 1989, 1990, and 1991. “She made fans of runners and spectators wherever the team went. They wanted to watch that little girl from Batesville run.”

Tatum was the 1991 Valedictorian of Batesville High School in Arkansas. She ran track at Harvard University, graduating with a B.A. in biochemistry. She attended medical school at Louisiana State University and completed her residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. She finished her medical training as a pediatric radiology fellow at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St Louis. Tatum was selfless and caring, and her passion for helping others was reflected in her diligent career as a pediatric radiologist. She worked at a variety of private practices and academic institutions, mostly on the east coast, with one exotic year and a half in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tatum lived a healthy and active life. Never one to sit still, she loved moving her body, running almost every day of her life. She frequently hiked, did yoga, and swam. She also enjoyed nature and the outdoors.

Always the first to offer an empathetic heart, she was loved for her delicate and sensitive nature. Tatum was an exceptional wife and mother who lived life with kindness, integrity, determination, ambition, and an intangible grace that was unique to her.

After a courageous battle with long covid, may she finally rest in peace.

Preceding her in death are her maternal grandparents, Henry and Lucy Bond and paternal grandparents, John and Eula Simon. Surviving is her husband of 21 years, Peter Johnson; three children, Molly Johnson, Henry Johnson, and Josey Johnson; sister, Teighlor March (Troy); brother, Arthur Simon (Meg); three nephews, Jackson, Brady, and Louie and her father and mother-in-law, Richard and Lydia Johnson. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, February 6, 2026, at Mount Tabor United Methodist Church with Dr. Michael Brown officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends following the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.