Who Is Lois Denhard?
Lois Denhard, later known as Lois Marjorie Johnson after her marriage, was the wife of longtime Atlanta Braves player and broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr. and the mother of Emmy-winning sportscaster Ernie Johnson Jr.
She wasn’t a public figure in her own right. She never sought a spotlight, gave interviews, or built a media career. Yet her name keeps coming up in searches because of the family she helped build and the decades she spent as the steady center of a household defined by baseball, broadcasting, and constant travel.
Most people who search “Lois Denhard” are really trying to understand the woman behind two well-known men: her husband, a beloved voice of Braves baseball for over three decades, and her son, one of the most respected names in NBA broadcasting. This article pulls together what’s actually documented about her life, family, and legacy.
Quick Bio Table
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Lois Marjorie Johnson (née Denhard) |
| Nickname | “Lolo” |
| Born | 1928, Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | January 17, 2023 (age 94) |
| Spouse | Ernie Johnson Sr. (m. 1947, until his death in 2011) |
| Children | Dawn, Chris, and Ernie Johnson Jr. |
| Grandchildren | Six, including Eric and Maggie Johnson |
| Occupation | Homemaker; Atlanta tour guide in the 1970s |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Burial | Green Lawn Cemetery, Roswell, Georgia |
Lois Denhard Age
Lois was born in 1928 and passed away on January 17, 2023, at the age of 94. She lived through nearly a century of American history, from the Great Depression through the digital age, and she spent the majority of those decades in Georgia after settling there with her husband in the 1960s.
Early Life in Chicago
Lois Denhard was born in Chicago in 1928. Public records don’t offer much detail about her childhood or her parents, which is common for women of her generation who weren’t public figures. What is documented is that she eventually moved to Brattleboro, Vermont, where she attended Brattleboro High School and became a cheerleader there. That small Vermont town is where the defining relationship of her life began.
Meeting Ernie Johnson and Building a Life Together
After serving in World War II with the United States Marine Corps, Ernie Johnson Sr. returned home to Brattleboro, Vermont. It was there that he met Lois, the local high school cheerleader who would become his wife.
Their meeting had all the hallmarks of a classic postwar American love story. A young serviceman coming home, a hometown girl, and a small New England town that gave them the space to fall in love. Neither of them could have predicted that this quiet beginning would eventually lead to a life connected to Major League Baseball and national television.
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Marriage and Family Life
Lois and Ernie Johnson Sr. married in 1947. Their marriage lasted 63 years, ending only with Ernie’s death in August 2011.
Together, they raised three children:
- Dawn Johnson, their eldest daughter
- Chris Johnson, their second daughter
- Ernie Johnson Jr., who followed his father into sports broadcasting and became one of the most recognizable voices in NBA coverage
The family eventually settled in the Atlanta area once Ernie Sr.’s baseball career brought them south. Family accounts describe a home where love, faith, and a strong sense of humor coexisted with the unpredictability of a career built around a baseball schedule.
The Backbone of Ernie’s Career
Ernie Johnson Sr. spent time as a Major League Baseball pitcher with the Boston and Milwaukee Braves before becoming the television and radio voice of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 until 1999, a run that included more than 4,000 broadcast games.
That kind of career means constant travel, long road trips, and countless nights away from home during baseball season. Lois was the one who kept the household running while her husband was on the road. A family story that captures this perfectly involves a magnet that sat on the Johnson family’s refrigerator for decades. It read something like this: their marriage was regularly “interrupted” by the baseball season.
It’s a small detail, but it says a lot. Lois wasn’t just a supportive spouse in the background. She managed a home and raised three children largely on her own for months at a time every year, all while her husband became one of Atlanta’s most beloved broadcasting personalities.
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Lois Denhard’s Net Worth
There’s no publicly disclosed or verified net worth figure for Lois Denhard, and any number you might see attached to her name elsewhere online should be treated with skepticism, since it isn’t backed by any real source.
Here’s what’s actually known:
- She was a private individual who did not have a media career or public salary of her own
- In the 1970s, she worked as one of Atlanta’s “Tour Gals,” a group of women who gave sightseeing tours to visitors in the city
- Her husband’s income came from his MLB playing career and later his decades-long broadcasting role with the Atlanta Braves, though his exact broadcasting salary was never made public either
Rather than guess at a number that has no factual basis, it’s more accurate to say her financial life was tied to a comfortable, middle-to-upper-middle-class household supported by her husband’s long broadcasting career, supplemented by her own work in the tourism industry during the 1970s.
Physical Stats
There are no verified, publicly documented physical statistics (height, weight, or similar figures) available for Lois Denhard. Since she wasn’t a model, actress, or on-camera personality, this type of information was never recorded or published anywhere. Any source claiming specific numbers here is speculation rather than fact.
Faith and Community Involvement
Faith played a meaningful role in Lois’s life. Her funeral mass was held at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church in Cumming, Georgia, reflecting her Roman Catholic faith. Beyond her religious life, her time working as an Atlanta “Tour Gal” in the 1970s speaks to a woman who was community-minded and enjoyed connecting with people outside her immediate family circle, a natural fit given the description of her as someone with a welcoming spirit and a magnetic personality.
Retirement Years
After her husband retired from broadcasting in 1999 following the Braves’ final season under his call, the couple settled into a quieter chapter together in the Atlanta area. Ernie Sr. passed away in August 2011 after a long illness, ending their 63-year marriage. Lois continued on for another twelve years, remaining close to her children and growing family until her death in January 2023.
Lois Denhard’s Legacy
Lois Denhard’s legacy isn’t measured in broadcasting awards or public accolades. It’s measured in the family she raised and the values she passed down. Her son, Ernie Johnson Jr., built his own celebrated broadcasting career partly by following the example set by his father, but the stability that made that possible at home came from his mother.
Family tributes described her as “our matriarch” and “our moral compass,” language that speaks to the quiet but foundational role she played across three generations of the Johnson family, from her own children down to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Community and Family Tributes
Following her passing, the Johnson family shared a heartfelt tribute describing Lois as a woman defined by “determination, wisdom, faith and charm rarely seen.” She was remembered as someone who navigated the demands of raising a family largely alone during baseball season with remarkable grace, while also carving out her own identity through her tour guide work in Atlanta.
She was survived by her daughter Chris and son Ernie Jr., son-in-law Jacky Cheek, daughter-in-law Cheryl Deluca-Johnson, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She was laid to rest beside her husband at Green Lawn Cemetery in Roswell, Georgia.
A Life of Grace and Simplicity
What stands out most about Lois Denhard’s story is how unremarkable it looks on paper and how remarkable it actually was. A cheerleader from small-town Vermont who married a returning serviceman, raised three children largely by herself during baseball season, worked a job she genuinely seemed to enjoy, and stayed married to the same man for 63 years.
There’s no scandal, no reinvention, no dramatic turn. Just a long, steady life built around family, faith, and community, the kind of life that rarely makes headlines but quietly shapes the people who go on to do more public, visible things.
Interesting Facts About Lois Denhard
- She was born in Chicago but met her husband nearly a thousand miles away in Brattleboro, Vermont
- She and Ernie Sr. were married for 63 years, a milestone few couples reach
- Her family nickname was “Lolo”
- She worked as one of Atlanta’s “Tour Gals” in the 1970s, giving sightseeing tours to visitors
- She lived to 94, outliving her husband by roughly 12 years
- Her son Ernie Jr. has spoken publicly about the lessons he learned from his parents, which he carried into raising his own six children
Conclusion
Lois Denhard’s story is a reminder that not every meaningful life plays out in public. She didn’t chase a career in the spotlight, yet she helped make two well-known broadcasting careers possible, first her husband’s, then indirectly her son’s, simply by being the steady presence at home.
Her life, from a Chicago birth to a Vermont romance to more than six decades in Georgia, reflects the kind of quiet dedication that rarely gets written about but deserves to be remembered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Lois Denhard?
Lois Denhard was the wife of Atlanta Braves player and broadcaster Ernie Johnson Sr. and the mother of NBA broadcaster Ernie Johnson Jr.
How old was Lois Denhard when she died?
She was 94 years old when she passed away on January 17, 2023.
Where was Lois Denhard born?
She was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1928.
How did Lois meet Ernie Johnson Sr.?
They met in Brattleboro, Vermont, after he returned from World War II service in the Marine Corps; she was a local high school cheerleader.
How many children did Lois Denhard have?
She had three children: daughters Dawn and Chris, and son Ernie Johnson Jr.
