Meredith Johnson Walton

With her characteristic grace, Meredith Johnson Walton closed the chapter on a three-year cancer battle on August 1, 2025, at the age of 73. A third generation Arizonan born to Arthur Johnson Jr and Janice LaPrade Berridge, Meredith grew up in North Central.

While she shared with pride that she withstood eight concussions as a teen, she wisely pivoted from waterskiing Saguaro Lake and the Salt River canals, cheerleading at Central High School and Honolulu surfing to more refined travel, albeit, with one notable hiccup. During a December trip to New York with the Waltons, Meredith was preparing for a glamourous holiday evening with distinguished dinner guests at the Metropolitan Club when she plugged in her hair curlers and unwittingly plunged the fully booked Club into complete darkness.

Later on in life, wanderlust set her sights on Europe. Building destination dossiers on famed cities and sites, hotels and restaurants, she traveled extensively for years. She particularly enjoyed walking the shops in Venice where she found her beloved hand painted masks, watching fireworks from the top of the Spanish Steps and shared that driving through the Swiss Alps in the summer brought her the most joy.

Each summer, she loved transforming into a San Diego Zonie for a few weeks with family and longtime friends at Ecco Sands. Between bridge games on the beach, cocktail hour on the sea wall and walks to dinner at Saska’s or The Green Flash, she treasured her time on the water. And, while a talented golfer, there is a story of a ladies foursome on Coronado whereby each golfer took to the tee and promptly shanked it into the tennis courts one after the other.

Meredith took hosting to extraordinary levels for the family she cherished. She orchestrated a circus themed murder mystery birthday party replete with a red and white circus tent set up in the living room. Christmas gifts were displayed sans nametags which kept the family guessing whether it was the patterned paper or the bow color that held the key to unlocking which gifts were theirs. And more recently, a perfectly planned trip to Whitefish with her “Montana 9” for her 70th birthday that had her jet skiing, zip lining and freezing during the Glacier Park tour.

Through it all, she was a part of the family’s garden center business, Berridge Nurseries. As a child she propagated plants and moved to the helm more than 30 years ago. She opened its holiday shop, Seasons by Berridge, with the help of longtime friends and their discerning eyes. What started with four themed holiday trees has now transformed into Arcadia’s destination holiday and gift shop. Sharing her business acumen, she spent many late nights at the kitchen table on Whitton with her ten key calculator working on behalf of The Junior League of Phoenix and The Board of Visitors and the communities they serve.

As her Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters would say, “Let’s end on a positive!” and celebrate her life at Christ Church of The Ascension 4015 E. Lincoln Drive at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025.

She is survived by her daughters Christine Fortman (Stefan) and Melinda Walton; sisters Julie Johnson, Joya Johnson, Kaye Alderman (Gregory) and brother James Berridge III; nieces Dr. Kate Farrell (Christopher, Conor and Cameron) and Taylor (Robert) Robles; and nephew Thomas Berridge.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation honoring her memory to: The Berridge Nurseries Scholarship Fund to support students in horticulture industry programs www.AZNA.org/donate or to The Board of Visitors to serve the healthcare needs of the greater Phoenix community Memorial Donations - Board of Visitors.

Arrangements entrusted to Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home and Post Scripts by Posey.