BETTY WAS THE SECOND CHILD OF ILEA McGOWEN JOHNSON AND WALTER JOHNSON, BORN ON MAY 10, 1938 IN NICHOLLS, GA. SHE JOINED HER BROTHER, WALLACE, WHO WAS BORN TWO YEARS EARLIER. SHORTLY AFTER BETTY'S BIRTH, THE FAMILY MOVED TO WAYCROSS, GA. WHERE TWO SIBLINGS WERE BORN, JAMES AND PAUL LAWRENCE. JAMES DIED IN INFANCY. PAUL LAWRENCE DIED IN 2007.
BETTY, TOGETHER WITH HER FAMILY, WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF ST. HAMES AME CHURCH WHERE SHE PLAYED THE PIANO FOR THE CHOIR. SHE WAS SELECTED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS TO ATTEND SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTIONS IN NEAR BY TOWNS.
BETTY INITIALLY ATTENDED THE NICHOLLS SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR COLORED CHILDREN. STRIVING FOR BETTER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WALLACE AND BETTY, ILEA FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT FOR HER CHILDREN TO BE BUSED TO CARVER HIGH SCHOOL IN DOUGLAS WHERE BETTY GRADUATED IN 1954. BETTY LEFT NICHOLLS TO ATTEND MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE IN ATLANTA, GA. SHE RECEIVED THE BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN EDUCATION AND MUSIC IN 1958. SHE RECEIVED THE MASTER'S DEGREE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FROM ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN 1973. BETTY WAS EMPLOYED BY THE ATLANTA BOARD OF EDUCATION IN 1958. HE CAREER AS A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, AND LATER AS A MUSIC TEACHER, WAS DISTINGUISHED AND ACCOMPLISHED SPANNING OVER 60 YEARS. WHEN BLALOCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPENED IN 1971, AS A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, BETTY TAUGHT KIDS SHO HAD LITTLE TO NO PRE-SCHOOL EXPERIENCE. THROUGH BETTY'S DEDICATED INSTRUCTION, THOSE STUDENTS MOVED ON TO PURSUE 1ST GRADE AS ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS.
BETTY MET CLIFFORD ARNIE MARSHALL,JR. DURING HER HIGH SCHOOL YEARS. SHE AND CLIFFORD MARRIED IN IN 1958 AND THEY WELCOMED THEIR SON, XAVIER KEVIIN MARSHALL, IN 1964. ALTHOUGH BETTY AND CLIFFORD'S MARRIAGE CAME TO AN END, THEIR LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP WAS SUSTAINED UNTIL CLIFFORD'S DEATH IN 2016.
BETTY FOUND LOVE AGAIN AND LATER MARRIED JESSE PATTERSON WHOM SHE AFFECTIONATELY CALLED "PATTERSON". BETTY AND PATTERSON SHARED A LOVE OF TRAVELING, MUSIC AND THEIR BELOVED ATLANTA FALCONS. PATTERSON PRECEDED BETTY IN DEATH IN 2015. SHE REMEMBERED HER TIME WITH PATTERSON WITH GREAT JOY, LOVE AND DEVOTION.
IN THE FALL OF 2018, BETTY RELOCATED FROM ATLANTA TO FORT WORTH, TX. TO LIVE WITH HER SON, KEVIN AND DAUGHTER-LAW, DONNA, AND BE NEAR HER GRANDSON, TRISTAN. DURING HER FINAL MONTHS OF LIFE, WHILE RESIDING AT THE BROOKDALE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, LOCATED NEAR HER FAMILY.

BETTY WAS ALSO PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER PARENTS, ILEA AND WALTER AND HER STEPFATHER, HOVES.
SHE LEAVES WONDERFUL AND PRECIOUS MEMORIES WITH HER DEVOTED SON, XAVIER KEVIN MARSHALL(DONNA) OF FORT WORTH, TX; HER LOVING BROTHER, DR. WALLACE E. JOHNSON(BETTY) OF MISSOURI CITY, TX.; HER GRANDSON, TRISTAN MARSHALL(MOTHER, EMILIN) OF FORT WORTH, TX: HER NIECES, SUCRE WOODLEY(FREDDIE) OF MIISSOURI CITY, TX; AIMEE LYNN JOHNSON OF LAS VEGAS,NV; KRYSTAL MARSHALL DAKERS(ASTON) OF BLOOMFIELD, CT; HER NEPHEWS, WALLACE E. JOHNSON,JR. OF MEMPHIS, TN AND JAMES PAUL MARSHALL,JR.(CANDACE) OF KENNESAW, GA; HER GREAT NIECES, SKYRA JOHNSON AND SKYLAR MARSHALL; HER GREAT NEPHEWS, LEVI WOODLEY, JONAH JOHNSON, ISAAC WOODLEY, MICHAEL SIMPSON, MARSHALL SIMPSON, JAMES-ETHAN MARSHALL AND CHANDLER NARSHALL; SPECIAL COUSINS, STERLING WILSON,SR., MICHAEL FRANK WILSON(JANIVIAN), HANIIS WILSON(BOYCE), JAMES JOHNSON, CHERYL JOHNSON AND VANESSA HARRIS(DAUGHTER,ALEXIS); DEAR FRIEND, HENRY PORTER AND DELORES JACKSON; EIGHT LOVING GODCHILDREN, AND SO MANY OTHER VERY SPECIAL COUSINS, RELATIVES AND DEAR FRIENDS