named her Betty Rae Johnson. She was the second youngest of seven children. Betty
accepted Christ and was baptized at a young age.
Betty loved her family. She loved being a provider and a source of comfort for her children,
grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.
Betty was known as "Bigmama" to everyone because she was everyone's mama
regardless of who you were or where you came from. On Sundays, Bigmama kept a full
house. She always had a pot of beans, a pot of greens, a pan of cornbread, and some type of
meat on the stove. Bigmama made sure that anyone who came to her house left with a full
belly, including all the friends of her grandchildren.
Bigmama never met a stranger; she was loved by all people she encountered. She had a les-
son to teach everyone; like how to clean the kitchen, grow your hair, cook hot water corn-
bread, save money, keep a secret stash, pay bills on time, add bleach to the dishwater, love
your family and so much more.
Bigmama was an avid shopper. When the house was empty, which was hardly ever, you
could find Betty sitting in her favorite chair ordering clothes from magazines. If she want-
ed anything, she would buy it, or she would show one of her children or grandchildren a
catalogue because she knew they would purchase it for her. Besides shopping, Bigmama
kept a notebook full of phone numbers. She would flip through the pages of that notebook
until she found the number of who she wanted to call whether it was her siblings, children
or grandchildren. Bigmama didn't want anything, but to hear their voice. She would talk
about what she saw on the news, ask what they were cooking and tell them to treat the
kids right. The best part about the phone calls was the ending because Bigmama never said
bye; she would just hang up the phone. For her, when she was done talking, she was done
talking.
Bigmama entered eternal life on Monday, May 3, 2021. She was preceded in death by her
parents, Ruben and Genie Johnson; her husband, Roosevelt Norris, her partner later in life,
Eugene Reagins; her sisters Maggie Little and Ruby Holmes; her brother, James Johnson;
and her sons, Marcus Johnson and Ray Charles Johnson.
Left to cherish memories of her are:
Her brothers: Billie Johnson (Sheila), Jimmie Johnson (Margaret) and Otis Johnson;
Her children: Darcus Johnson, Tina Simmons (Charles), Alisia Shotwell, Teresa Norris,
Latonia Gray (Kelvin), Nicole Roquemore (Rodger), Roosevelt Johnson;
Her stepdaughter: Debra Norris;
Her sister-in-law: Marie Norris;
Her grandchildren: Vernon Shotwell Jr. (Tamika), Jermaine Shotwell (Dominique), Cha-tina
Clark, Fleater Norris, Charlene Bradley (Dunya), Lisa Okoye (Chukwuma), Kelvin Gray Jr.
(Allison), Tenecia Gray, Charita Stubblefield (Tasha), John Stubblefield III, Ashley Whitley-
Collins (Wade), Fred Whitley, Ronaya Roquemore, Charles U. Johnson, Charles Steward
(Elaine), Asa Lewis, Lorenzo Lewis, Charles Lewis.; and a host of great grandchildren, great-
great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
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