Lottie Jo Whatley

Lottie Jo was born on August 31,1932 to Sid and Mollie (Walker) Brooks. She was a lifelong resident of Bossier Parish and a longtime member of Cypress Baptist Church.

She grew up in rural Benton, on the “Coca Cola” property her father managed. The youngest of five siblings, she was the baby of the bunch, but didn’t let that keep her from asserting her wishes upon them. She enjoyed basketball and baseball and became a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves.

After high school, she married Wayne Whatley and settled in the heart of Benton. Lottie Jo went to work for the Bossier Parish Clerks office for several years, then moved to the law offices of Pugh and Pugh where she became a valued member of their team.

A devout Christian, Lottie Jo taught Sunday School for 37 years at First Baptist Church Benton, La.

In 1960 Lottie Jo and Wayne welcomed their daughter, Jeanine, to their family. She was their passion, and Lottie Jo poured her life into Jeanine: nurturing, guiding, mentoring, and loving on her. Jo, as she preferred to be called, was fastidious about her appearance, making sure every hair was in place, makeup applied, and her wardrobe in style. That’s how she looked when the local police department pulled her over one night. Dressed to a “T” in full makeup and hair smartly coiffured—with three teenagers and a bucket of water balloons in the backseat of the car as she chauffeured them on a water balloon raid.

One of her favorite pastimes was yard work. She hedged shrubs, planted flowers, and could use a 30-foot pole saw almost as well as Wayne. She wouldn’t use a riding mower, preferring to use a 21-inch push mower to get the lawn looking just right. She, Wayne and Jeanine spent many a weekend taking back roads to Hot Springs, Arkansas, stopping at roadside auctions along the way.

Those who knew her best wouldn’t call her a world traveler. She was content to stay in northwest Louisiana. Her sister Ruby put it best when she said, “When Lottie Jo went somewhere more than 200 miles from Benton, she was ready to come home five minutes after she arrived.”

When Courtney and Lauren arrived in 1990 and 1993, she found a new hobby: shopping for granddaughters’ clothes. They spent untold hours trying on dresses and shoes with “Grandmama” at Dillard’s, Bealls, Toy Fair and the VF Factory Outlet in Arcadia.

When folks “stay in touch,” they use social media, text messaging, email, and the telephone to contact each other. Some put pen to paper and handwrite letters. But Lottie Jo and Wayne stayed in touch literally… rarely were they apart from one another. It seemed they were always together… and often holding hands. She and Wayne stayed side by side for over 73 years. They were only separated at his death in 2024, and after a brief interlude of eight months, are reunited for eternity.

Lottie Jo is preceded in death by her parents, Sidney and Mollie Brooks; husband, Wayne Whatley; sister, Audrey Bettis; and brother, Howard Brooks.

She is survived by her daughter, Jeanine Kreid and son-in-law Jeff; granddaughters, Courtney Brown and husband Cody, Lauren Ransbottom and husband Chris; and five great-grandchildren, Emma Brown, Bennett Brown, Nora Ransbottom, Blakely Ransbottom and Millie Ransbottom; sisters, Ruby McDoniel and Betty Koloc; and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation for Lottie Jo will be held Thursday, May 22, 2025 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Hill Crest Memorial Chapel, 601 Hwy 80, Haughton, Louisiana 71037, with a celebration of life beginning at 11:00 am with Pastor Tommy Patton officiating. Interment will follow at Hill Crest Park.

Serving as pallbearers will be Walt Lynn, Rodney Madden, Burton Rice, Howard Brooks, Chris Ransbottom and Cody Brown.