Beverly (Becky) Sue Johnson died at the age of 82 early Thursday morning at her home in Humboldt, Kan. She was born Oct. 19, 1943 in Victoria, Texas, the daughter of Lacy and Ione Mintz. The family was stationed at Foster Airforce Base in Victoria during WW II.
Beverly was the glue that kept her family and extended family connected. She was always smiling when in the presence of her four brothers, sister, her children and grandchildren.
Beverly loved the Lord, her family, and her friends. She was instrumental and involved in two youth religious groups over the years, WHAM (We have a mission) and AWANA (Approved Workmen And Not Ashamed).
WHAM was centered on learning the Bible and becoming more like Jesus. She wanted her grandchildren and their friends to learn about God at a young age. Beverly, through her twin granddaughters, Emma and Alayna, and their mother, Melanie, started a youth group for about a dozen girls in the Humboldt schools who met over the course of their middle school and high school years to learn about Jesus.
She also introduced the youth to one of her favorite mission passions, Operation Christmas Child, where shoeboxes filled with presents and bible-based gifts are sent to children all over the world. She continued filling shoeboxes up until her passing.
AWANA was a program revolving around learning Bible-based topics and it used stories and parables from the Bible to illustrate how to follow Jesus. This was through the First Baptist Church in Iola.
Beverly was a paraprofessional in the Iola school district for many years and always enjoyed helping and mentoring children.
As a longtime member of either the Iola or Humboldt First Baptist Church, she was generally involved with vacation Bible school or Sunday school discussions. Her commitment to the church could further be documented through many summer mission trips to numerous states. She simply loved telling the children about Jesus.
She enjoyed crafting, quilting, scrapbooking, and time with her family. She made quilts and scrapbooks for her six grandchildren through the years. She was also the creator and editor of several cookbooks which she took great pride in giving to friends and family. She was a terrific baker and cook.
Beverly had numerous jobs over the years before retiring in 2006. She retired after 19 years as a paraprofessional at Iola’s Jefferson Elementary School, a job she loved and loved working with her dear friend Sharon Whitworth. She enjoyed all the children and staff at Jefferson Elementary, including longtime friend Ken McGuffin, the principal.
Beverly and Robert E. (Bob) Johnson were married Nov. 20, 1965. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary while she was recovering from surgery for mesothelioma (cancer) at St. Luke’s Plaza Hospital in Kansas City. She lost that battle on April 2, 2026.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Johnson, of the home. Also surviving are daughter, Brenda (Sean) Lee, Roswell, N.M., son Bob (Melanie) Johnson, Humboldt; sister, Sandy Hildinger, Humboldt; brothers Roger (Patty) Mintz, Craig (Sandy) Mintz, Todd (Bonnie) Mintz and Monty (Dawn) Mintz, all of Humboldt; sister-in-law Jenelle Johnson, Humboldt; grandchildren Noah (companion Olivia Stuart) Johnson, Merriam, Kan., Alayna Johnson, Kansas City, Mo., Emma (Dagen) Goodner, Riley, Kan., Maddox Johnson, Pittsburg, Hudson (Lan) Lee, and Olivia Lee, Garland, Texas, and great-granddaughters Hannah Beverly Li and Ellie June Goodner.
Funeral services are at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 7 at Humboldt’s First Baptist Church, 118 N. Seventh St. Burial, under direction of Feuerborn Funeral Home, Iola, will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery on the northeast edge of Humboldt.
Memorials may be made to Humboldt’s First Baptist Church or the Christmas Shoebox Fund at the church and left with Feuerbon Family Funeral Service.
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