Aug. 17, 1932 - Oct. 16, 2015
Services celebrating the life and legacy of Mrs. Marylene K. Johnson will be held Thursday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. at the Abundant Life Ministries Church on Ben Drive with burial following in the Shady Grove Community Cemetery. The remains will lie in state at the Abundant Life Church for public visitation from 9 a.m. until service time. Those who were privileged to interact with our beloved Marylene Keegan Johnson would consistently describe her as a lady with admirable conviction, an intense love of God, family and country as well as the consummate domestic engineer. She was a dear daughter, precious wife, a loving mother, grandmother, sister, cousin and loyal friend. Born Aug. 17, 1932 in Jonesboro and reared in the Shady Grove Community, she was blessed to have two sets of parents, Mary Lee Cyrus and Wordie Hicks as well as Cora Keegan Bush and Dock Keegan. This gentle soul exchanged time for eternity Oct. 16, 2015 surrounded by family while a patient at the Willis-Knighton-Pierremont Medical Center in Shreveport. Her being nurtured in a devoutly Christian environment served as a natural prelude to her focus on preparation for eternal life. She did so by prayer and self-denial in seeking a personal relationship with God, publicly confessing her faith in Him as her Lord and Savior, being baptized and then uniting with the Shady Grove Baptist Church under the pastorage of the late Rev. John Gaines. During her adult life, she was spiritually led to become a part of the Abundant Life Ministries Family where the Rev. Dr. Aill R. Harris Jr. is pastor and teacher. Sis. Johnson remained an active part of that congregation serving in various capacities. Education was of great importance in her life’s perspective. She graduated from Natchitoches Parish Training School in the Class of 1950 where she had reigned on the Homecoming Court and earned the reputation of being a noteworthy athlete. The latter attribute was prominent during her tenure at what was then Grambling College and is now Grambling State University. The Lord blessed her with a loving companion in her marriage to the late Mr. James Johnson, a matrimonial union that brought forth fruit of two sons, Edward Charles Johnson, and James Ervin Johnson. For many years, she was blessed with a loving companion, Norwood Jackson Jr. and a third son, Norwood Jackson III. Johnson will long be remembered for the elegant manner in which she selected her wardrobe attire and articulated in a modulated voice tone. She was a productive member of the Natchitoches community, participating in a number of social organizations. She served on the Board of Directors for the Office of Community Service, Natchitoches Outpatient Clinic, and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Additionally, she was an active member of the American Legion Post #10, VFW Post #1962 and the Kisatchie Legal Services Board. Known for her diligence in organizations, she was dedicated to the work of the Grambling State University Alumni Association for many years. This conscientious citizen retired from the Northwestern State University after a career in their physical plant division that spanned more than three decades. Her spirit will live on in the hearts and minds of those who survive her including her three sons: Edward C. Johnson (Gwendolyn) of Slidell, James Ervin Johnson of Maryland and Norwood Jackson III (Carolyn) of Natchitoches; her grandchildren, Tamma Johnson Gray, Baton Rouge, Natosha D. Payne (Damien), Natchitoches, and Germaine D. Johnson, Atlanta, Ga.; her great-grandchildren D. J. Rabb, Daiyan A. Gray, Ayla D. Payne and Samiya Gray; her sister, Jean Fields, of Bernice, her brothers, William D. Cyrus, Baton Rouge, LA and Aubrey Lee Cyrus (Mary) of West Monroe. She is also survived by very special friends: Cynthia Pierce King, Valerie McCoy and Bettie Ann Bush.