Obituary: Frances Dell McLain Johnson
Funeral services for Frances Dell McLain Johnson, age 83, of Bolivar will be held in the chapel of Shackelford Funeral Directors on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 2 p.m. The burial will be in the Melrose Cemetery in Whiteville.
Frances Dell McLain Johnson was born in Whiteville, Tennessee, on January the 4, 1941. She swears her first memory was the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but we seriously doubt that. However, she believed it.
She spent her childhood years in Whiteville, Tennessee enjoying fishing and the simple pleasures of rural life. Frances accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior at Whiteville First Baptist Church at the age of 13. She graduated from Whiteville High School in 1959.
Frances later obtained her associate degree in nursing and passed her state boards, becoming licensed as a registered nurse in Kansas and later in Tennessee. She spent the majority of her nursing career at Western Mental Health Institute, working third shift for over 30 years. While employed there, she became a Level 4 nursing supervisor. She was a very hard worker, often working two or three jobs.
She was affectionately known as Bear by her two children, Debbie and Linda, and all of their friends. Later on, she became known as Grand Bear by her adored granddaughter, Livie, and Livie’s friends.
Grand Bear always wanted Livie to have a fun vacation every year. She took Livie to her first Cardinals ball game when she was six years old. There were trips to Disney World, San Antonio, Grand Canyon, and many beach trips to Daytona Beach, Myrtle Beach, Panama City, and Siesta Key, Florida. Many times, Livie was accompanied on these trips by her dear friends, which included Payton, Whitney, and Mackenzie. Those included trips to Gatlinburg, Wisconsin Dells and Schlitterbahn, near San Antonio. There was not a spare inch left in the van when all the things were loaded in, but it was full of laughter.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Estelle McLain. She leaves to cherish her memory, her two daughters, Debbie DeBerry (Danny) and Linda Johnson of Bolivar, Tennessee. Also surviving include her granddaughter, Olivia Fratesi (Landon) of Leland, Mississippi. Others that were dear to her heart who are left to cherish her memory include her sisters, Shirley Milford of Stantonville, Tennessee, and Liz Rutledge of Somerville, Tennessee, and her good buddy, Hazel Bills. The family would also like to give a special thank you to, Starla Perry, for the excellent care and kindness she gave to Bear. She will be laid to rest at the Melrose Cemetery next to her parents and dear friend, Rita Yakabowich.
Memorials may be made to Hardeman Adoptable Animals, P.O. Box 513, Bolivar, Tennessee 38008.
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