Catherine G. "Katie" Johnson

Katie Johnson (Catherine Brady Grymes), 58, of Olive Branch, died Oct. 2 after a valiant, 15-year battle with cancer. She often expressed a desire that loved ones remember her passing with joy because she was going to be with the Lord in her true home.

Throughout her treatments and remissions, Katie reached out to others facing struggles, offering hope and encouragement. She considered cancer, especially, her mission field. “Some people look at cancer as a death sentence, but God let me know that it's a life sentence,” she said at a July 10 celebration in her honor. “Could I have lived a better life? No.”

Katie was born February, 19, 1952, in Oklahoma City to Herman and Mary Catherine Grymes, and grew up in Memphis, TN. She was a resident of Olive Branch for 26 years, working as a real estate agent for two decades and becoming a Lifetime Multi-Million Producer. However, she said her most important job was as a mother to Justin and Mary Beth. Always civically involved, she served on the boards of the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce, Olive Branch Rotary and Olive Branch Arts Council, and as president of Desoto County Business Women. In May she was honored by the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce as the first woman to receive the Jack McCauley Award for community advancement. She was a member of Longview Heights Baptist Church in Olive Branch and a lifetime member of the State of Mississippi PTA.

Katie was preceded in death by her father, Herman Grymes Jr. She is survived by her husband, Dale Johnson, and son, Justin Robert Johnson, and his wife, Lisa; daughter, Mary Elizabeth Smith, and her husband, Christopher Smith; mother, Mary Catherine Grymes; sister, Mary Faith Robb; brother Bill Grymes and his wife, Kim; three nieces, Jennifer Inman, Caitlin and Bren Grymes, and one nephew, Matthew Robb.

Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Monday and the funeral at 2 p.m. Tuesday, both at Longview Heights Baptist Church in Olive Branch. Arrangements by Brantley Funeral Home. Donations may be made to the Olive Branch Community Food Pantry, 10947 Hwy 178, Olive Branch, MS 38654.

Brantley Funeral Home

Olive Branch 662-895-2310

www.BrantleyFuneral.com

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