Betty Johnson
HAUGHTON, LA – Betty Carolyn Cates Johnson was born on July 30th, 1963, in Beaumont, Texas as the baby of four children. She moved to Converse, Louisiana at a young age where she excelled as a student and athlete, maintaining perfect grades and winning a state championship in softball. During her senior year, she met Rusty Johnson and the two of them hit it off immediately. They were married on May 22nd, 1981 and they would live happily together for the next 35 years. They had four children. Carolyn passed away on August 25th, 2016.
Services will be held on Monday August 29th, 2016 at 2:00 PM with Rev. Uriah Oxford officiating at Hill Crest Memorial Chapel with burial to follow at Hill Crest Memorial Park. Visitation will be held on Sunday, August 28th, 2016 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Hill Crest Funeral Home.
Carolyn graduated from Northwestern State University as both a registered nurse and later a nurse practitioner, where she never made anything lower than top grades. She loved working with patients and helping them heal and live healthy lives. Countless numbers of people have Carolyn to thank for her tireless efforts as a medical practitioner at both Willis-Knighton hospital and Ark-La-Tex Cardiology.
Carolyn’s greatest achievement was as a wife and mother. She encouraged her husband to attend college at Louisiana State University and achieve his dream of coaching. She was the rock to him through all of life’s ups and downs. To her four children, she was a constant support and loving presence. She never missed ball games or dance recitals and she was never too busy to be there for her family.
Carolyn was an inspiration to many during her long and arduous fight with cancer. She always fought with a deep well of strength, courage, and perseverance. She was a fighter throughout her entire life and she was not going to let anything keep her from enjoying her time with family and friends. Her ability to stay strong and confront her disease with grace and dignity gave the people around her the strength they needed to fight with her.
Carolyn is preceded in death by her parents, James and Betty Cates, and her sister, Charlotte Cates. Carolyn is survived by her husband, Rusty, and children, Todd and his wife Brittany, Tyler, Allison, and Lauren, her sister, Cathy Johnson and her husband Patrick, her brother, James Cates and his wife Martha, father-in-law, A.D. Johnson and his wife Susan, sister-in-law, Penny Horne and her husband Jeff, sister-in-law, Jennifer White and her husband Ricky, sister-in-law, Kristy Free and her husband Ronnie, and many nieces, nephews, and countless friends who loved her deeply.
Her family and friends would like to thank the doctors and staff at Willis-Knighton hospital, the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center, the Progressive Care Center, Cornerstone Hospital, Ark-La-Tex Cardiology, C.E. Byrd High School, and the many people who worked tirelessly to help Carolyn overcome her sickness.
Honoring Carolyn as pallbearers will be Jeff Horne, Buddy McCullin, Steve Melton, Pat Johnson, Dr. Scott Wiggins, Dudley Glenn, and Larry Patrick.
Please visit www.hillcrestmemorialfh.com to leave online condolences for the family.
Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home
Haughton, LA
318-949-9415
