A celebration of the life of Millie “Jadie” Johnson will be held 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 19, 2018 at Lakeland House Assisted Living in Athens, Texas with Chaplain Lynette Solomon officiating.
On October 7, 2018 Millie “Jadie” Meeks Johnson went home to be with her Lord and Savior at the age of 91, after a 10-year journey with Alzheimer’s.
She was a resident of Lakeland House Assisted Living in Athens, Texas since 2009 and over the years Millie was lovingly cared for by the devoted staff at Lakeland House Assisted Living, Genesis Home Health, A Trinity Valley Home Health and Genesis Hospice.
Millie was born on January 21, 1927 in Attalla, Alabama the second of seven children to Millie Hill Meeks and Monroe Meeks, Sr. After attending Etowah High School and Gadsden Business College she was employed by Dwight Mills and Sears Roebuck & Co. in Gadsden in the business offices. She then married Orbin Keith Johnson of Gadsden, Alabama on July 11, 1949. In 1962 they bought a farm on Sand Mountain in the New Harmony Community. Millie was a faithful employee at Allied Continental Grain Inc. in Guntersville, Alabama for the next 31 years in the accounting and processing office. She was an active and faithful member of New Harmony Baptist Church and Community and belonged to the Bertha Martin Chapter No. 469 Order of the Eastern Star.
The delight of her retirement years was the purchase and restoration of a family home at 17 Dwight Avenue in historical Dwight Mill Village in Attalla, Alabama. It was her pride and joy. She was a member of Cherry St. Baptist Church, pastored by Bro. Larry Garrard; she dearly loved her church family, especially her ladies Sunday School class of Ruth. Millie was always a beautiful lady, inside and out, possessing a calm, quiet, reserved and loving spirit. She was an excellent seamstress, gardener and cook. She enjoyed canning and freezing fresh vegetables from their large garden and was well known for her famous yeast rolls and pecan pies. Millie loved reading, especially historical American and English literature. She was an avid University of Alabama football fan. Throughout the years she was a caregiver to her mother in law, her mother, her husband and her son, in addition to working full time. She loved her family, working hard, going to church ad serving others unselfishly.
Millie was preceded in death by her sister Tennie C. Meeks Hooper; four brothers, Franklin R. Meeks, Kenneth Meeks, Monroe Meeks Jr., Woody Meeks; a grandson, Jeffery Wayne Bruce; her son, Chester Wayne Bruce and her loving and adoring husband of 41 years, Orbin Keith Johnson.
She is survived by their daughter, Colleen J. Johnson Cates and husband Dr. Ron Cates of Athens, Texas; her sister Eloise Headrick of Albertville, Alabama; her grandchildren, Austin Cates and Ms. Raleigh Shea Cates, Ms. Terrie Bruce, Phillip Bruce, Scotty Bruce and Perry Bruce. She dearly loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family would like donations made in her memory to the:
Cherry Street Baptist Church Mission’s Fund in Gadsden, Alabama.
Millie “Jadie” was that Christian woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31:10. Her life was well lived and she was a blessing to all who knew her.
Service arrangements were entrusted to the Hannigan Smith Funeral Home Family.