Elese Johnson

Elese Beard Johnson, 91, of Elizabethtown went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 13, 2022 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville. She was born November 07, 1930 in Clarkton, NC. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ivenden Wendell “Bud” Beard and Eva Mae Shaw Beard, her husband Homer Smith “HS” Johnson, and three brothers, Earl, Vernon, and Clyde Beard. Elese leaves behind her two daughters, Cheryl Ricker (Joey) of Parkton and Barbara Locklear (John) of Leawood, KS; four grandchildren: Rebecca “Beckie” Fox (Elliott), Christopher “Michael” Locklear, Phillip Locklear, and Jody Ricker (Jamie) and four great grandchildren: Cooper, Addie, Ryland, and Izzy.

Elese was a member of Whites Creek Baptist Church in Clarkton, NC. She loved going to church, teaching Sunday School, and was the treasurer of her Sunday School Class. She loved to read and watch game shows. She was the matriarch of her family and was the happiest when her family gathered around her dining room table for holiday celebrations. Elese and her husband, HS, ran the HS Shell Station in Elizabethtown for many years.

The family thanks Patricia Powell, primary caregiver, friend, and supporter of family as well as caregiver, Dale C. Pate.

The family will receive friends at 1pm on Thursday, January 20th at Bladen-Gaskins Funeral Home with a funeral service at 2pm. Burial will follow services in the Whites Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. The family requests that due to Covid that everyone wears a mask.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you help someone in need or give to a charity of your choice.