Beatrice Mae (Keown) Johnson

Beatrice Mae Johnson was born October 11, 1926 in Burkburnett, Texas. Her parents were William Peyton Keown and Jessie Mae Dillow. Her mother died at age 27 when she was 18 months old. Her father took her to his sister's and husband's home, Eula and Bart Stone, in Marlow, OK. Bea, sister Bettye, and her brother Peyton "Son", lived with relatives. Bea's daddy married again and she was taken to live with them in Electra, Texas. She had 2 half-brothers, Johnny, Dan, and 2 half-sisters, Mary Margarite and Gail Keown. The family eventually moved to Kamay, south of Electra, during the oil boom. Bea's elementary grades through her junior year in high school were spent in Valley View, Texas while her daddy was a flight instructor for the Aggies at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. Bea graduated from Navasota High School, Navasota, Texas in 1944.
After graduating from high school at age 17 and while visiting her Aunt Eula in Marlow, OK, she went to work for Halliburton in Duncan, OK. At age 19, she met the love of her life, Joe Merle Johnson. He hadn't been home long from serving as a Marine in WWII and was an engineer working at Halliburton. In 1946, they were married after dating a short period of time and lived in a small house next to Joe's parent's home on old Highway 81 outside of Duncan, OK. 
Eventually they built a house in Duncan where they raised their 3 children, Lynda, Laura, and Joe Jr. Beatrice was a housewife until all her children went to college. After the children all left home, in Duncan she worked at Woolworth, Gibson's, the Green Stamp Store, J C Penney's, and Little's Printing Company.
In 1974, after 28 years of marriage, Bea lost her husband Joe when he was age 53. After he passed away, she went to work at Halliburton for 9 years and then was Secretary at the Northside Church of Christ in Duncan for 9 ½ years. She lived in Duncan 47 ½ years. Her children moved her to Yukon in 1993 where she attended South Yukon Church of Christ.
She was preceded in death by her parents, William Peyton Keown and Jessie Mae Dillow Keown, her husband Joe Merle Johnson, her sister Bettye Sue Beavers, and her brother Peyton "Son" Keown. She is survived by her daughter Lynda Ramsey and husband Steve, their sons Bart, Ben and his wife Laurel and their son Anderson of Yukon, OK; her daughter Laura Burgert and her son Joseph Burgert, and his sons Kylon and Keegan of Oklahoma City, OK; her son Joe Merle Johnson, Jr. and his wife Holly of Arcadia, OK, their daughters Amy Castor and her husband Val of Stillwater, OK, and Lyndsey Lowry and her husband Brett of Edmond, OK; her half-brothers Dan and his wife Janette of Burkburnett, TX, and Johnny and his wife Nancy of Hilltop Lakes, TX; and her half-sisters Mary Margarite of Navasota, TX and Gail Keown of Mt. Vernon, Iowa. She had five grandchildren Ben, Bart, Joseph, Amy, and Lyndsey. Bea also had nine great grandchildren Anderson, Kylon, Keegan, Grace Spence and her husband Noah, Annie, Emma, Jack, Mary and Jesse.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 4, from 4:00 am to 8:00 pm at Ingram, Smith, and Turner Mortuary, 201 E Main Street, Yukon, OK 73099. Beatrice's life will be remembered on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 10:00 am at Ingram, Smith & Turner Mortuary with burial to follow at 2:30 PM at Duncan Cemetery in Duncan, OK. 

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