Betty Jane Pylate Johnson, aged 86, answered God’s call to come home and peacefully passed into his presence on April 9, 2021. She is preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband, Edward Johnson, father William Pylate and mother, Emma, three brothers Eldon, Blaine, William “Wayne", five sisters Katherine Krohn, Sandra Scarborough, Gail Moody, Lorraine Robinson, and Gladys Perry. She is survived by her son, Scott Johnson and wife Vicki, daughter, Karen Johnson, granddaughter, Jennifer Johnson, great-grandchildren, Brian and Brittany Prevost, two brothers Ronald “Ronnie” Pylate and William “Billy” Pylate, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Betty applied a keen intellectual curiosity to everything she did, reflecting her high value of education. She graduated from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA, earning a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Education degree from Louisiana State University.
She was a devoted elementary school teacher of science and mathematics for 36 years, beginning in Lake Charles in 1962, and Baker, LA, completing most of her career in East Baton Rouge Parish, retiring in 1998.
She was especially active in NASA educational workshops for professional development and to inspire her students. She participated in programs that were a precursor to the NASA Teacher in Space program.
Betty earned many Outstanding Teacher honors everywhere she taught, including Louisiana Outstanding Young Teacher of the Year in 1964. She earned initiation and was active in honorary fraternities Phi Lambda Pi and Phi Delta Kappa.
She was a deeply faithful Christian woman and was a member of Parkview Baptist Church for over 30 years, attended and often taught Sunday School lessons to her senior group, and participated often in church events.
Her home was always the center for large family gatherings, holidays, and birthdays. She was an accomplished cook and cake decorator and delighted in preparing great meals for her wide circle of family and friends.
Betty enjoyed her outdoor space where she meticulously tended to her rose garden, satsuma and lemon trees, while attending to her resident hummingbirds and squirrels. She was an animal lover but her greatest joy was the cats, grand-cat, grand-dogs, and various strays she fed and cared about over the years.
She was a world traveler, enjoyed collecting art, coins and autographed books. She loved opera. She was pampered by her husband and children who worked to grant her every wish.
The visitation and funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at Parkview Baptist Church, 11795 Jefferson Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA. Private family visitation will be 11:30 a.m. to noon. Public visitation will be noon to 1:00 p.m. followed by the celebration of life service from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Burial will be at Green Oaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Blvd., at 3:00 p.m. weather permitting.
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