Barbara A. Monroe

Barbara Ann Monroe (Johnson), 66, of Cannon Falls, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family, on May 28, 2026 after a courageous battle with cervical cancer.

Barb was born December 1, 1959, to Norris and Anna (Bakkethun/Edstrom) Johnson. Barb attended Cannon Falls High School, where she was part of the speech team and enjoyed playing the clarinet in the school band. She graduated as class valedictorian in 1978. She went on to attend St. Olaf College and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa sorority. She graduated with honors with a degree in Home Economics Education.

After college Barb worked for the Goodhue County Extension Service, Midwest Importers, West Law, and Pine & Prints. In 1994, Barb began her work with ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education). Barb started working as a parent educator and coordinator in Cannon Falls, and later included classes in the Goodhue and Randolph school systems. After 30+ years with ECFE, Barb retired in 2024. She enjoyed her career and all the families and co-workers she met along the way. Her kindness, patience, and caring nature made a lasting impact on all those around her.

In 1994, she met Thomas Monroe, and they were married on May 25, 1996. They recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. They enjoyed spending time together at home, and if you ever needed to find them on a Friday evening, everyone knew to look for them at Mill Street Tavern.

Barb was a life-long and active member of St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church. She helped teach Sunday school, was part of the Alter Guild, helped decorate for holidays, and assisted with serving at funerals. She found great peace and comfort in her faith. She very much enjoyed visiting with friends over coffee, sharing stories and laughter. She enjoyed vegetable and flower gardening on the family farm. For years Barb would spend Saturday mornings at the Farmers’ Market in town selling her home-grown vegetables, flowers, and home-made treats. She also participated in many Cannon Falls community groups and organizations. She enjoyed playing in the Cannon Falls community band and volunteering at the food shelf. Barb enjoyed attending local events like Thursday Fun Fest, Deck the Falls, Cannon Valley Fair, and watching the Fourth of July parade from her front lawn. Barb also found happiness in life’s quieter moments, like quilting and cross stitching. She also enjoyed sitting in the sunroom at home, with a good book, while her cat Penny rested in her lap.

She is survived by her husband, Tom Monroe; daughter, Shelby (Trevor) Newborg of Cannon Falls; grandchildren Ashton Otto, Christian Newborg, Trent Olson, and Reighan Olson, all of Cannon Falls; brother, Dana Edstrom of Minneapolis.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Norris and Anna Johnson; parents-in-law, Terry and Barb Monroe; and granddaughter, Adelia Olson.

Donations in her name can be made to the Cannon Falls Food Shelf, the Local Humane Society, or to St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church.

A visitation will be held on Sunday June 7, from 4–7 p.m. at Lundberg Funeral Home in Cannon Falls. A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday June 8, 11 a.m. at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls, MN with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. and a light lunch to follow. The service will be live-streamed and available to watch below.

LIVESTREAM INFORMATION: For those who would like to participate in Barb's service via livestream, you can watch the service on Monday, June 8, 2026 at 11:00 am. It can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of this page and click PLAY to begin. Please leave a message of support on our Tribute Wall to let the family know you were able to watch the service. If you are having troubles with the Livestream, the service will be available to watch later in the day.